Hull Seahawks v Milton Keynes Lightning - No fear for Seahawks as they go hunting for first-ever trophy

It’s been well-documented how tough Hull Seahawks’ first season in the second-tier was, beset by problems and issues on and off the ice - most notably the late arrival of their import players - it was little surprise that they missed out on the play-offs, eventually finishing bottom of the regular season standings.

Davies had known for a long time that his team’s hopes of making the post-season were unlikely and it was around the time of his team’s Cup semi-final triumph over Leeds Knights over a month ago that his thoughts had already started turning to 2023-24.

What a difference a year makes, as the saying goes.

Assured of a fourth place finish in the regular season standings - there was brief hope they could force their way into the league title picture - the Seahawks have been transformed, with tonight’s first leg of the final against Milton Keynes Lightning the pinnacle of the franchise’s short life.

Unlike in 2022 when Davies and his co-owners found themselves rushing to get the basics into place in order to enable a fully-functioning organisation both on and off the ice, there was more time to plan properly for the second year.

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It has certainly paid off. Given more time to recruit, Davies brought former homegrown favourites such as Bobby Chamberlain and Lee Bonner back into the fold, while retaining crowd-pleasing import star forward Emil Svec and adding Brock Bartholomew, who Davies believes is the league’s best defenceman.

Third import, forward Bobby Young, was a solid addition but Davies took the big decision to replace him in January with former Bristol Pitbulls centre, Owen Sobchak.

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It has proved a masterstroke, with Sobchak combining with Svec and rising British star Finlay Ulrick for the majority of his time on ice to great effect.

Davies believes the trio - combined with top line defensive pair Bartholomew and Hull-born Declan Balmer - offer the best five-man unit throughout the entire league.

They will certainly be to the forefront and key to Hull’s chances of lifting their first-ever piece of silverware across two nights against the Lightning, themselves not short of star turns.

For many observers, MIlton Keynes will go into the tie as favourites, given their better form throughout the season and their history.

But for Davies and his players, there is little to fear.

The head-to-head series between the two has seen them come out on top by three wins to two and, crucially, they are the only team to win in Milton Keynes this season.

Come the second leg, that small psychological advantage could prove critical to the overall result.

“Look, they are a good team, no doubt and what they’ve been able to do at home is obviously testament to that,” said Davies. “They’ve got a lot of really talented offensive players and it’s going to be difficult, but we’ve turned up in those big games and I think the way we play helps us in those games.

“We want to be on the front foot and aggressive against everyone, sometimes that has bitten us on the backside against some of the middle to lower-end teams - the way the games have gone, we might not have brought the same intensity in them games.

“I’ve said this before but I think it just matters a bit more to us. I see Jurgen Klopp said that a few weeks ago and he got battered for it - but I think it’s true in our case. It is a massive game for this club - we’ve been planning for it for weeks.

“We’ve got a lot of lads that are from this area and from Hull. They’ve been through a lot with the club in the past with other franchises and now.

“Of course, it will mean a lot to both teams and I do believe it will be a great two games and a good test for us both.

“But we go into it feeling good and we’re confident that we can win.”

The two teams are well-matched, particularly up front. For Milton Keynes’s Rory Herrman with 108 points so far, read Hull’s Svec with 104 next to his name - a nine-point night in Friday’s 12-6 win at Bristol Pitbulls seeing him crash through the three-figure barrier.

For Davies, nothing will be won or lost after tonight’s opening encounter, emphasising to his players that they have a six-period hockey game in front of them.

“I see it is a 120-minute game,” said Davies, who will be at full strength for the home tie, Bobby Chamberlain coming through the weekend unscathed and Lee Bonner now back up to speed following his controversial eight-game suspension.

“For us, it’s six periods that we have to play and be solid in all six periods and make sure that we’re intense and intentional in what we’re doing on every shift.

“We’ve talked about that for a couple of weeks now. We will bring that intensity and we have to bring it on a constant basis against a team like Milton Keynes.

“It’s going to be tough, but we’ll play a certain way and I think it will also be tough for them, so we go into it confident.”