Leeds Knights through to NIHL National Cup Final after comeback win over Sheffield Steeldogs

Ryan Aldridge’s team did it the hard way, though, coming from two goals behind at Ice Sheffield to win 5-2 on the night and 7-4 overall.

It now sees them preparing to face Romford Raiders in a two-legged final next month, as they try to go one better than the runners-up heartache they suffered at the hands of Peterborough Phantoms two years ago.

For the Steeldogs, they must wait another 12 months to see whether they can reclaim the trophy they lifted three years ago.

After the expected quiet opening, it was the Steeldogs who broke the deadlock in the eighth minute.

Tim Smith broke down a Knights attack in the left circle before releasing Jonathan Phillips with a superb long-range pass that split the two defencemen and allowed the veteran to drive towards goal, where he shoved the puck through Sam Gospel and saw it crawl over the line.

Leeds were being kept largely to the perimeter with Jordan Griffing seeing two long-range efforts repelled by Ben Norton before Sam Tremblay showed good speed and then skill when forcing Gospel into a sharp save at his left-post from a back-handed effort in the 10th minute.

After Dylan Hehir saw his sharp shot denied by Norton, the Steeldogs doubled their advantage in the 16th minute.

As the puck spiralled into the air in front of net, Gospel tried to swat it to safety and, when he missed, it fell kindly to Walker Sommer who was able to poke it into the empty net.

But, in a frantic end to the period, the Knights soon reduced the deficit, Norton making two saves before Matt Bissonnette was able to slow play down and find Dylan Hehir who fired through traffic at 17.41.

It looked like that would be how the period would end but, in an echo of the third period in Leeds in the first leg 11 days previously, the visitors had other ideas when they went on the power play after a slashing call on Sommer.

With just seconds remaining, the Knights won a face-off in the left circle, the puck bobbling towards net where it was found by Finley Bradon who fired past the outstretched Norton to level the tie at 4-4 overall.

The Steeldogs couldn’t make their first power play come to anything after a high sticks call on Ethan Hehir and, after Oli Endicott was brilliantly denied by Emleri Hallfors on a breakaway, the Knights went ahead for the first time on the night.

Again it came from a face-off win, this time on the right, Bradon winning the draw and finding Endicott who blasted a rocket past Norton at 30.38.

At the other end, Finlay Ulrick fired wide when well-placed in the left circle and the Steeldogs exerted plenty of pressure on the Knights’ net, only for Gospel and his defencemen to hold steady.

Early pressure in the third came from the Steeldogs, with Tremblay denied by Gospel when swivelling in front of net and firing in off his backhand.

As is so often the case in such games, the next goal needed to come for the Steeldogs if they were to stand any chance of pulling the tie back.

Unfortunately for them, it went the way of the visitors.

Shortly after Gospel had pulled off a smart double-save, the Knights won a face-off at the other end, Barron finding Kieran Brown who fired through traffic to make it 4-2 on the night at 47.42.

With just over two minutes remaining, the Steeldogs pulled Norton as they went on a powerplay giving them a 6-on-4 advantage.

But play broke down when Tremblay’s attempted pass hit a discarded stick, the puck falling to Haywood who took his time before firing the puck into the empty net from the halfway mark.