Leeds Knights continue to prosper as Hull Seahawks and Sheffield Steeldogs endure tough time - NIHL National review

Having pulled off a stunning 2-0 win at third-placed Swindon Wildcats on Friday while distinctly short-benched, they came off very much second-best at home to Raiders IHC on Sunday evening, going down 9-1.

Steve Weeks’ team were 7-0 down before they troubled the scorers for the first time in the 47th minute through veteran forward Jonathan Phillips.

But that was as good as it got for the hosts, losing further ground on a team they needed to stay in touch with if they were to boost their chances of making the post-season.

Raiders now occupy the eighth and final play-off spot and are eight points better off than the Steeldogs with two games in hand.

The Steeldogs have 13 games left in which to save their season.

The same can’t be said for Yorkshire rivals Leeds Knights, who followed up Saturday’s night’s 7-2 win at home to Peterborough Phantoms, with a 7-0 triumph against the same opponents on the road and sit four points clear at the top of the NIHL National standings.

It was the impressive and intelligent Matt Barron who got the ball rolling in Peterborough on Sunday when he struck at 5.34 to make it 1-0 to the visitors.

Mac Howlett doubled the lead five minutes later before Barron found the target again with just six seconds of the period.

In a carbon copy of when the goals were scored the previous evening, the Knights added just the one in the second period when Kieran Brown scored on the powerplay at 37.52.

The Knights’ captain doubled his tally just 21 seconds into the third period before the flourishing Finn Bradon made it 6-0 at 47.01, Oli Endicott getting his reward for another industrious performance when he completed the scoring just over four minutes later.

Hull Seahawks emerged from the weekend empty-handed when they followed up Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Swindon with a 5-4 reverse at Bees.

Leading 2-1 at the halfway mark through goals from Nathan Salem and captain Sam Towner, the Seahawks then shipped four unanswered goals to leave themselves 5-2 adrift going into the final three minutes.

Jordan Fisher and then Owen Sobchak struck to pull the visitors to within one with just under two minutes remaining, but that was as close as they got.