EVEN though it’s not the title-deciding weekend some people are making it out to be, Leeds Knights’ coach Ryan Aldridge admits the upcoming double-header against Milton Keynes Lightning is ‘big’.

Around a third of the way into the 2023-24 NIHL National season, the Knights head to Buckinghamshire tonight looking to claw back top spot from the Lightning, who replaced them last Sunday after a 12-3 hammering of Raiders IHC.

The two meet again on Sunday at Elland Road (face-off 5.15pm) and while it is currently hard to see much further past the usual suspects for this year’s regular season champion, Aldridge is adamant there will still be too much hockey left to be played to hang so much on one weekend.

“It’s not a title-deciding weekend, but it is a big weekend, there is no getting away from that,” said Aldridge, who is hoping his team extend their winning streak to 10 games tonight.

WE'LL MEET AGAIN: Leeds Knights' Jordan Griffing gets to grips with an opponent during the last meeting against Milton Keynes at Elland Road in October. Picture: Aaron Badkin/Leeds Knights.

“A lot of people around the league are saying that if we win this weekend we’ll go on and win it, but a lot can happen between now and April.

“All I know, for us to get anything from this weekend, on either night, we have to make sure we’re at our best.”

The Knights will come up against a seriously-stacked Lightning team, recently boosted by the return of forward Liam Stewart.

But there are a number of other, more familiar faces in the Lightning line-up, too, with former Knights’ players Carter Hamill, Harry Gulliver, Ben Solder and Mack Stewart all present.

FAMILIAR FACE: Former Leeds Knights forward will line up for Milton Keynes Lightning against his old club this weekend. Picture courtesy of Oliver Portamento.

The two teams have exchanged wins already this season, the Knights suffering their first loss ot the campaign in Milton Keynes before returning home and promptly thrashing Tim Wallace’s team 9-1 on home ice the following night.

But Aldridge knows that will have no bearing on this weekend.

"Their depth is massive,” added Aldridge. “They are great in their own building, but then so are we. They’ve got a mature team and Ross Venus has probably figured this league out now.

“What happened at ours earlier in the season doesn’t matter. Every team is going to have a slip-up, at least once a year. We had it last year in the Cup final, they might have had theirs against us earlier this year.”

Leeds Knights out to strike Milton Keynes Lightning down twice across big weekend