NIHL National: Leeds Knights, Hull Seahawks and Sheffield Steeldogs enjoy big Saturday night wins

Kieran Brown led the way for the defending champions in their 6-4 home win on Saturday, his hat-trick part of a five-point night.

Matt Bissonnette snapped a 10-game streak without a goal, while Matt Barron and Finley Bradon also got on the scoresheet.

The Knights were 6-1 ahead after two periods but had to endure some late nerves when a late, five-minute power play enabled the Phantoms score three times in two minutes.

“We came out of the gates flying and the boys were phenomenal in the first period - we did all the things that we spoke about before the game,” said Knights’ head coach Ryan Aldridge.

“It’s obviously tough to play like that for 60 minutes, but they were massive points for us.”

Hull Seahawks prevailed 6-5 at Swindon Wildcats - but only after coming from behind three times and then prevailing 5-4 in a mammoth nine-round shootout.

Matty Davies’s team were twice trailing by two goals but a frenzied seven-goal second period saw them go in tied at 4-4 with their hosts thanks to an Emil Svec double and strikes from Dec Balmer and captain Bobby Chamberlain.

Jake Bricknell completed his hat-trick early in the third to put Swindon ahead again but Balmer fired his second in the 49th minute, enough to take the game into overtime and then a shoot-out where Svec scored the decisive winner.

Sheffield Steeldogs kept up the pressure on fourth-placed Hull, requiring a Sam Tremblay overtime winner to get the better of hosts Telford Tigers 4-3.

Goals from Charlie Thompson - marking his return from long-term injury in style - and Jonathan Phillips saw the teams tied at 2-2 after two periods.

But the game looked to have gone when Eric Henderson put the Tigers ahead with less than three minutes remaining.

But Tremblay levelled with unjust 75 seconds remaining and then went one better in overtime when he struck the winner at 63.29.