Sheffield Steeldogs v Leeds Knights: Rival coaches give verdict after NIHL National Cup semi-final derby is resolved

Trailing 2-0 after 16 minutes at Ice Sheffield, the Knights – finalists two years ago when losing out to Peterborough Phantoms – looked like they would suffer a semi-final exit like the one last year against Hull Seahawks.

But, after hauling themselves level before the first intermission, they went on to secure a 5-2 win and a 7-4 aggregate triumph.

It was the third game in four days for both teams, the Knights extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 11 games, while the Steeldogs suffered their third straight defeat having come off second-best twice in their weekend double-header against Hull.

Aldridge admitted his players looked tired at times given their recent efforts – they were outshot almost two-to-one on the night – but did enough to get through to January’s two-legged final against Romford Raiders.

“I thought we looked tired for large parts of that game. I thought Gossy (netminder, Sam Gospel) was unbelievable from start to finish,” said Aldridge.

“I don’t think it was us, but we did enough to get through. I think in these big games, we get caught a little bit flat-footed, I think the event drains us but the positive is that we won.”

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

Tim Smith released Jonathan Phillips with a superb long-range pass that split two defencemen and allowed the veteran to drive towards goal, where he poked the puck through Gospel and over the line.

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

The hosts doubled their advantage in the 16th minute. As the puck spiralled in the air in front of net, Gospel tried to swat it to safety and, when he missed, it fell kindly to Walker Sommer who calmly steered it into the empty net.

But, in a frantic end to the period, the Knights soon got on the board, Norton making two saves before Matt Bissonnette was able to find Dylan Hehir, who fired home through traffic at 17.41.

It looked like that would be how the period would end but, in an echo of the third period of the first leg in Leeds 11 days previously when the Steeldogs equalised with 0.6 seconds of the game remaining, the visitors had other ideas.

A slashing call on Sommer presented the Knights with their first power play opportunity and it was one they didn’t waste. From a face-off in the left circle, the puck bobbled towards net where it found 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 before the Knights went ahead for the first time in the game.

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

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

Early pressure in the third again came from the Steeldogs, with Tremblay denied by Gospel when swivelling in front of net and firing off a back-handed shot.

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 brilliant double-save – the second from Ulrick’s close-range rebound effort – the Knights won another face-off at the other end, Jordan Buesa finding captain Kieran Brown, who fired through traffic to make it 4-2 on the night at 47.42.

The Steeldogs continued to push hard and were handed a way back late on when Griffin was called for slashing with just under three minutes remaining. With nothing to lose, they also pulled Norton to give them a 6-on-4 power play.

But when play broke down after Tremblay’s attempted pass hit a discarded stick, the puck fell to Haywood who had time to fire it into the empty net from the halfway line with 71 seconds left.

Steeldogs’ player-coach Ben Morgan admitted the result was tough on his players.

"I felt we were really good for the majority of that game, so that’s a tough one to take,” said Morgan. "I don’t feel like we were hemmed in at any point, it was just one of those games where they took their chances and we didn’t.

“We got off to a good start, but we’ve just got to learn to play with a lead.”