Sheffield Steeldogs close in on Final Four Weekend but Leeds Knights play-off bid over

Greg Wood’s team sit top of their group with six points after four games as they followed up a 5-3 road win in Wiltshire on Saturday with a comprehensive 6-2 win at Ice Sheffield.

One more win from next weekend’s double-header with Peterborough Phantoms will get them to the SkyDome Arena.

By contrast, Leeds Knights saw their own bid for a play-off semi-final slot come to an end when they lost 5-4 at regular season league champions Telford Tigers.

Coupled with a 5-4 defeat in overtime at home to Bees IHC on Saturday night, it means the Knights are mathematically eliminated from finishing in the top two of their group.

The Knights are yet to win a game in the post-season and close out their home schedule with a visit from Telford this Friday, the same night the Steeldogs host Peterborough (both 7.30pm)

Goals from Jason Hewitt (2), Matthew Bissonnette, Ben Morgan and Jonathan Kirk earned the Steeldogs the points in Swindon.

They then got off to the perfect start on home ice, the hosts going 2-0 ahead inside six minutes through Hewitt and Lee Bonner.

The Wildcats were level less than three minutes into the second period through Balint Pakozdi and Emil Svec.

Thereafter, though, the night belonged to Sheffield, Jack Brammer making it 3-2 at 23.40 before third-period strikes followed from Alex Graham (2) and Bissonnette.

Three times the Knights had the lead at Telford, three times the hosts levelled, only taking the lead for the first time at 46.50 through Corey Goodison which proved to be the winning goal.

Cole Shudra had earlier broken the deadlock at 11.38, his effort being followed just under three minutes by Jamie Chilcott’s blast from the blue line.

Just 19 seconds later, though, Telford were on the board through Finley Howells, the 19-year-old then levelling just over two minutes into the second period. Kieran Brown restored the visitors’ advantage, only for Howells to complete his hat-trick at 26.10.

Matty Davies made it 4-3 at 37.00 before Jason Silverthorn equalised shorthanded at 39.05.

In the Elite League, Sheffield Steelers will face Dundee Stars in their play-off quarter-final.

Dundee beat Coventry Blaze 4-3 in overtime to ensure they finished seventh overall in the regular season standings, booking thmselves a trip to Sheffield next Saturday (7pm).

The Steelers will have home ice first next Saturday (7pm) before heading up to Tayside the following day.