Leeds Knights standalone leaders in NIHL National as Sheffield Steeldogs increase the pain for Hull Seahawks

This coming Friday will probably present the Knights’ next ‘troughest test’ when they welcome second-placed Milton Keynes Lightning to Elland Road, Tim Wallace’s side losing their status as the only other team with an unbeaten start to the 2022-23 season when they lost out 4-2 to Swindon Wildcats on Saturday. Two points separate the two teams, with Peterborough Phantoms – now unbeaten in six – level with the Lightning.

With Saturday night’s 450-mile round trip to Hampshire up first, Aldridge was expecting his players to face their toughest mental challenge and it was one they conquered, returning home in the early hours of the morning on the back of a 3-1 victory.

The return match was an even better accomplishment, shaking off any grogginess they may have had from their early hours return to beat Ashley Tait’s team 4-1.

The tone was set in Hampshire early in the second when Lewis Baldwin opened his account for the season when reacting quickest to Matt Haywood’s shot cannoning off the glass behind the net at 21.25 to tap home from in front of the net.

That was how it stayed until Zack Milton finished neatly past Sam Gospel at 44.27, although the home team’s growing self-belief was dented when Grant Cooper pounced to put the Knights ahead again at 53.51, the points being made safe when Adam Barnes stroked home into an empty net with 15 seconds remaining.

It was the Knights who again opened the scoring on home ice just under 24 hours later, Barnes steering home from close range at 4.24 after good work by Dylan Hehir, Matt Haywood and Kieran Brown.

But, just like they had the previous night, it was far from simple for the Knights, Bison getting back on level terms on the power play when George Norcliffe beat Gospel at his near post from the right hash marks at 23.57.

Brown and Cole Shudra both went close but were denied by Lawday, who was helpless, however, to stop Zach Brooks putting the Knights ahead again just after the halfway mark when he fired home after a neat one-two with Cooper from below the blue goal-line.

Gospel was kept busy by Bison during the early part of the third and the Knights were relieved when the next goal went in at the other end, although only just, Cooper breaking clear after intercepting the puck on halfway and squeezing the puck through Lawday, who then conspired to nudge the puck over with one of his defencemen as they desperately tried to retrieve it at 51.58.

Carter Hamill made the points safe with his second of the season when he reacted quickly to Lawday denying him from close range by lifting the rebound over the helpless Bison netminder to make it 4-1 at 57.25. Elsewhere, it was a bumper weekend for Sheffield Steeldogs, Greg Wood’s team also taking maximum points when following up Saturday night’s 3-1 home win over Bees IHC with a 5-2 win at winless Hull Seahawks.

It meant another pointless weekend for Matty Davies’s team, who also lost out on the road on Saturday when beaten 3-1 at Raiders IHC.

Saturday saw the Steeldogs pushed close by the Bees until the third period when goals from Jason Hewitt, Vladislavs Vulkanovs and Alex Graham settled the encounter.

On Sunday in Hull, Sheffield got off to the perfect start when Matt Bissonnette put them ahead with just 1.25 on the clock and although defenceman Declan Balmer got the hosts level, Graham ensured the visitors went in ahead at the first intermission.

James Spurr increased the lead to 3-1 in the second but Hull were impressive and got their reward when James Archer made it a one-goal game again early in the third. But their derby rivals gained some more breathing room through Henry Adams before Graham made the points safe with an empty-net strike.

Hull headed down to Romford on Saturday intent on evening the score with the Raiders who had walked out of Hull Arena with two points in a 6-2 win the previous weekend.

But they never recovered from a tough first period as they went in 3-0 down through goals from the Raiders’ Tommy Huggett, Ashley Jackson and Michael Power.

Captain Sam Towner gave his side hope early in the third when he got on the board but, try as they might, there were no further inroads for the visitors, who this week hope to receive positive news about import forwards Emil Svec and Andreas Themar.