Leeds Knights in good sprits as Autumn Cup Final decider with Swindon Wildcats looms large

One thing coach Dave Whistle will not allow, though, is over-confidence, aware his team will be taking on a rival still seen as the team everybody wants to beat.

Both finalists followed up Friday night’s first leg in Swindon on a positive note, Leeds heading on down to Basingstoke for the first part of a double-header which saw them secure four points after following up a 4-3 win in Hampshire with an equally hard-fought 3-2 victory on home ice 24 hours later.

Swindon remained on home ice for Saturday’s visit from Raiders IHC, prevailing 6-1. But their return match in Romford last night was postponed due to ‘rapidly developing Covid situations.’

That development could yet see the second leg on Thursday postponed, although it should become clearer today how affected Swindon are following their Saturday night visit from Sean Easton’s team.

Going into the first leg, Leeds will have been rated underdogs by most interested parties and rightly so, given Swindon’s impressive run of form, one which now stands at one defeat in 12 games heading into Thursday’s showdown.

But while there was a spell during the second period of Friday night’s first encounter when Swindon sensed the tie was there for the taking, Leeds proved more than a match for their hosts throughout the 60 minutes, Harry Gulliver’s second goal of the night with just over two minutes remaining the perfect way for the visitors to cap their own impressive display.

Whistle was delighted with his team for the way they handled the big occasion, giving him confidence in their ability to get the job done later this week and present the near-sell-out crowd with the perfect early Christmas present.

“We’ve got every reason to be confident going into that second game,” said Whistle. “We’re confident coming back home to our rink, it should be pretty close to a sellout.

“It’s going to be loud in there and it will be like the sixth man on the ice for us because it’s going to be rocking. With any luck we can get an early goal, keep the momentum going and just keep rolling hard all night.

“We’re still in the game, there is still everything to play for and we feel good about ourselves. We more than matched them.

“Even if it had been 3-1, nothing would have been over, but it was obviously great to get that second goal, making it a one-goal game again.

“Scoring when we did, had our boys pumped coming in at the end of the game and they felt good about themselves and so they should have done.”

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As in the semi-final against Sheffield Steeldogs, it was two-way forward Gulliver who proved to be Leeds’ difference maker, not only scoring twice on the night, but making himself a threat throughout the entire game.

He remained with the Knights for both games against Bison and should be in the line-up again on Thursday – much to Whistle’s delight.

“He clearly likes playing for us,” added Whistle. “He’s been good for us in this competition and he really wants to be here, he wants to play, he wants to do well for and with us.

“He’s one of those players who, sometimes, the puck just kind of follows them around a little bit. He kind of goes all over the place. He’s been doing a great job and I’m super happy he wants to be here and that he wants to fit in and succeed.”