Sheffield Steeldogs boosted by return of key duo for Leeds Knights semi-final showdown

It couldn’t be better timed, the Yorkshire rivals facing off against each other for a fifth time this season, only this time it is in the first leg of the NIHL National Cup semi-final.

The Steeldogs play host tonight before the eagerly-anticipated tie concludes at Elland Road next Friday.

All four previous meetings have seen the Knights prevail but with forwards Jason Hewitt and Alex Graham back at their disposal – the former for the first time since early October – the Steeldogs go into the tie in understandably buoyant mood, determined to retain the trophy they won last season.

“We should pretty much have all our offence out there,” said head coach Wood. “We are dedicated and we want to retain what we won last year. We’ve always said we’re a big-game team and when these kinds of games come around, we’ll always be there or thereabouts.”

The return of veteran Hewitt – NIHL National’s second top points-scorer last season behind the Knights’ Kieran Brown – is significant, but so is the availability of 20-year-old Graham, the youngster having enjoyed a massive impact for the Steeldogs whenever he has been available from parent club Sheffield Steelers.

In just 22 games this season, Graham has plundered 49 points - 23 of them goals.

“For us it’s clearly a big, big plus,” added Wood. “Having that sort of offence back in and the leadership that they both bring has given us a big lift.

"Alex is a super-talented player and I think anybody who has watched him this year will know he’s probably the most taltned forward in this league.

"Then there’s Hewy, he’s had an MRI over the last couple of days or so to make sure everything has healed properly. With his experience and his points production, it just gives us something special down the middle and that combination of (Matt) Bissonnette, Hewitt and Graham were arguably the most talented three in the league last year and such a big part of why we were so successful.

"It’s obviously only going to make us a more offensive-minded team. We’ve not struggled defensively, our defensive record is pretty good but at times this year we’ve had to work hard for our goals and having those two back will give us a bit of a lift – any team in the league would take both those guys in a heartbeat.”

Wood is well aware of the threat posed by the Knights, who have led the regular season standings for the vast majority of the season and, so far, have the Steeldogs’ number.

But a return to the combination of having his top line back together and one of NIHL National’s meanest defences leaves Wood and his players in buoyant mood.

"We know how Leeds play and we know their strengths and we also know that they do have weaknesses and they have areas we can exploit and we’ll be looking to do that,” said Wood. “This is the first time we will have played them this season with a pretty much full roster and I think that in itself will give us a lift.

“Arguably it is the two most talented teams in the league going head-to-head. We want to be in that final – we proved we can do it last year and we’ve proved this year that we’re a good match for anybody.”