Leeds Chiefs target positive home start to spearhead late playoff push

After four-and-a-half months effectively spent playing their debut NIHL National season on the road, using seven other venues as their ‘home’ rink, the Chiefs finally get to step out onto authentic home ice in front of a 600-plus crowd.

Tonight’s Yorkshire derby will be the first of 12 regular season home games scheduled for the new rink, but Zajac is looking to make sure that can be extended.

To do that the Chiefs have to make the play-offs where a group format will bring them six further games, three of which will be at home. To make the playoffs, the Chiefs have to overturn the 10-point deficit that separates them from Raiders IHC – the team currently sitting in the eighth and final play-off spot.

To bridge that gap with 17 games remaining they have to put together a winning streak that has so far eluded them this season – starting tonight.

Given the historic occasion after all the adversity Zajac and his players have had to deal with this season, the 30-year-old first-season coach, says his pre-match team talk won’t be a difficult one to make.

“I was speaking to a couple of the guys yesterday saying that I can’t imagine that there will come another time, certainly in my playing career where you’re going to be among the first guys to step out on the ice for a brand new team, in a brand new venue in a city that has never housed ice hockey before,” said Zajac.

“The guys are rightly going to savour that and all we’ve said is be in the moment, make sure you enjoy it all – but the most important thing for us is the two points.

“It won’t be a tough team talk before the game – it goes without saying the guys are extra fired up for this one.

“It is all they have spoken about over the past few weeks and everyone knows that it has been a long time coming and this is what we’ve all been building towards. It is obviously going to be very special when we step out on that ice.”

Despite the special circumstances surrounding tonight’s game, Zajac is determined his team maintains their recent run of form which has brought five points from a possible six.

“The bigger picture for us has to be the play-offs,” he said. “It is still a big ask, but it is far from done and dusted. There’s a chance of playing three more home games in the play-offs and that has to be an extra motivating factor.”