Leeds Knights celebrate National Cup success at a raucous Castle
LEEDS KNIGHTS gave their fans a night to remember as they completed the set by overcoming a first-leg deficit to clinch the NIHL National Cup at Elland Road Ice Arena.
In front of a packed crowd, the Knights stormed to a 4-1 victory on the night and an 8-6 aggregate triumph overall against a dogged Romford Raiders.
It was the one trophy missing from the Knights’ cabinet, having already won both the league - twice - and the play-offs, while finishing runners-up two years ago in this competition.
After seeing a goal by the Raiders rubbed off because of a loose net with only 21 seconds gone, the Knights set off in search of overhauling the one-goal deficit from the previous night’s first leg Romford when they were edged out 5-4.
It could not have gone much better. With just 129 seconds gone they were level overall when Matt Barron - missing the previous night - poked the puck home through a crowd and then goalie Ethan James’ legs to make it 1-0.
The game was only six minutes old when the Knights got themselves ahead, Kieran Brown cutting in from the left and beating James over his right shoulder at his near-post from a near-impossible angle.
Less than two minutes later, ‘The Castle’ erupted when the Knights went further ahead, a sweeping move involving Matt Bissonnette and Matt Haywood seeing the puck fed to Brown by the veteran centre for what was - compared to his first effort - a simple tap-in at 7.03.
Everything was going Leeds’ way, even the fight which followed four seconds later when Krisjanis Fulganis got the take down on Romford’s Bradley Taylor in mid-ice - an incident that drew almost as many cheers as the third goal. But the Raiders were quick to serve warning of their threat when they pulled one back at 8.47, Leeds perhaps guilty of pushing too hard, too soon for a fourth goal and getting caught the other way when Jake Sylvester beat Sam Gospel with a neat back-hander.
Again, though, momentum was quick to switch, Jordan Buesa redirecting a throw on net from Bo Neely to make it 4-1 on the night and 8-6 overall with just over 10 minutes gone.
It was breathless stuff and couldn’t continue.
Sure enough, by comparison, the second and third period were mild-mannered affairs, notable mainly for one stunning save from Gospel who denied Shaun Miller with his outstretched right leg when a goal seemed certain.
From there, the Knights managed the game out before the victory celebrations could begin.
On Saturday, the Knights struck early on the power play at the Sapphire Centre when Matt Haywood beat Ethan James at 5.43.
It got better for the visitors after the break when Matt Bissonnette was put clear down the middle and made it 2-0 at 24.14.
But the Raiders showed their intent almost immediately when halving the deficit just over a minute later, Tjay Anderson ripping one past Gospel from 15 yards out after seeing his initial shot blocked.
The Knights were then rocked when they found themselves level with just over another minute gone, Miller driving down centre ice on a two-on-one and laying off to fellow Canadian Andrew Shewfelt on his left from where he had time to beat Gospel at 26.29.
It looked like the teams would go in level at the second intermission, but the Knights had other ideas, defenceman Jordan Griffin throwing the puck on net with Innes Gallacher redirecting from in front to put the Knights ahead for a second time on the night at 39.20.
A roughing call on Bow Neely just six seconds into the third gave the Raiders a power play opportunity - and it was one they took advantage of, Reed Morrison and Shewfelt combining to set up Miller who beat Gospel from low down at his near post to make it 3-3 at 41.54.
Noan McMullin then showed perfect timing when he arrived at the right spot on a line change to fire past James from just inside the blue line off a feed from Ethan Hehir to put the Knights ahead again in the 47th minute.
Gospel then denied Miller from close range but was powerless to stop the Raiders levelling for a third time when a neat move involving Miller and Brandon Ayliffe set up Shewfelt to fire home at 55.03.
It was then left to Miller to react quickest to the puck bouncing off the back boards and beat Gospel from a tight angle.