Leeds Knights made to sweat by Hull Seahawks in 10-goal NIHL National derby thriller

That’s the state of play for Leeds Knights as they overcame a mighty scare from bottom club Hull Seahawks to win 6-4 and pull further away from NIHL National rivals Milton Keynes Lightning.

With just over 15 minutes remaining, the Knights seemed home and dry, Mac Howlett completing his hat-trick off a feed from Matt Haywood to make it 5-1 to the hosts.

But, just over six minutes later, it was a one-goal game and nerves were getting frayed on the home bench – and amonght e fans around them – after Andrej Themar and then Emil Svec with two led an inspired comeback from the visitors.

But Leeds were able to hold firm, eventually making the points safe with a Haywood empty-net strike in the last minute.

Leeds had gone into the game – their first of nine in 17 days – looking to make it a perfect six against the Seahawks, having bossed all five previous encounters.

With Lewis Baldwin restored to the line-up after an injury lay-off, broke the deadlock with just over three minutes on the clock when Kieran Brown – looking to break the 50-goal barrier for the season – drove into the Hull zone before playing a neat drop pass to Cole Shudra, who fired over Curtis Warburton’s right shoulder and into the roof of the net from the top of the right circle.

Warburton then had to be alert to deny Oli Endicott and Shudra from close range before Hull settled into the game, Andrej Themar forcing Sam Gospel into his first save when the Leeds goalie had to stretch out his right leg to deny a shot on the turn from the Slovakian in the ninth minute.

Themar was denied again by Gospel from the bottom of the right circle before Leeds doubled their lead in somewhat fortunate fashion shortly after, Matt Haywood floating one through the crease from below the Hull goal-line on a Knights power play with the puck seemingly deflecting in off the unlucky Warburton at 16.53.

Hull deservedly halved the deficit with a well-worked goal in the 28th minute, Emil Svec’s sharp, pinpoint pass from the right circle finding captain Sam Towner on the opposite side from where he fired past a stranded Gospel.

But the visitors’ joy proved to be short-lived when Howlett pounced in front to restore the two-goal cushion just 33 seconds later, Haywood moving quickly to retrieve the puck on the boards behind the net before finding his team-mate alone in front.

He struck again twice within the first four minutes of the third period, his second of the night coming on a breakaway at 41.58 courtesy of a stretch pass from Jake Witkowski which saw him round Warburton. His hat-trick strike was courtesy of another feed from Haywood, this time from the bottom of the left circle at 44.24.

But that kickstarted an impressive Hull response, one that looked like ruining the night for the home fans.

Themar got his rewards when he battled hard to poke the puck home from close in to make it 5-2 at 47.10 before, just 90 seconds later and on the power play, Svec cut in from the left, neatly evaded Baldwin and tucked the puck home low to Gospel’s left.

The tension ratcheted up in the building even more when Svec guided the puck home from a tight angle at the bottom of the left circle to make it a one-goal game at 51.08.

Clearly, the momentum was with Hull, but Leeds steadied themselves and did enough to take the sting out of their opponents’ dominance.

They thought they’d given themselves another two-goal buffer when Adam Barnes struck in the 57th minute only for it to be ruled out by the officials.

Gospel had to be alert in the closing stages on a couple of occasions as Hull pulled Warburton at the other end for the extra man, but calm wasn’t truly restored among the home fans until Haywood found himself with an open goal to make the points safe with just 22 seconds remaining.