'You can feel it' - Jordan Stallard says Hull Seahawks have found NIHL National 'groove' at the perfect time
IT may be his first season at Hull Seahawks, but import forward Jordan Stallard quickly realised how much qualifying for the NIHL National Final Four Weekend for the first time ever would mean to everyone connected with the club.
The Seahawks are on course to post their best-ever regular season showing – both in terms of position and points – but it is what happens after that has long been the priority and helped drive their remarkable recent form of 13 wins in 14 games.
One win from their final two games this weekend could be enough to secure runners-up spot behind champions Swindon Wildcats – depending on results elsewhere involving Yorkshire rivals Leeds Knights and Sheffield Steeldogs, both currently two points behind.
Another four-point weekend will guarantee second for head coach Matty Davies’ team.
Heading into the post-season, the three Yorkshire teams along with fifth-placed Peterborough are the only teams in the top eight still to find out which play-off group they will be part of.
So far, Swindon and eighth-placed Romford Raiders are waiting in Group A, while Milton Keynes Lightning and Telford Tigers are committed to Group B, even though they could swap final league positions this weekend.
The teams finishing second and third – currently Hull and three-time champions Leeds – go into Group B, while fourth and fifth will complete Group A.
Either way, there will not be too much to choose between either group.
Both will bring six games of relentless play-off hockey, with most teams long out of the title picture having targetted this phase of the 2025-26 campaign for some time – each hoping to be crowned champions at Coventry’s SkyDome Arena on Sunday, April 19.
Davies saw his team fail to fire in the first half of the season – for a variety of reasons, including key injuries – a situation which left them lingering in the bottom half of the table for the vast majority of it.
The recent turnaround in form – coinciding with the arrival of Finnish netminder Aleksanteri Heiskanen in late January – has left Davies wondering ‘what if’ ever since.
His team’s previous failure to even make it to Coventry has long rankled, with Davies convinced he has the team capable of winning this time around.
Canadian forward Stallard realises momentum will be key going into the post-season – something Hull currently have in abundance.
“It’s just everyone coming together,” said Stallard when asked about the reasons behind the startling turnaround in form.
“I don’t think it’s any one specific thing or one particular reason. Everyone just wants to win and we all know how important the play-offs are.
“If we can build this momentum before then it really helps and we’ve been fortunate enough to find a way and put that winning run together these past few weeks – so it’s about keeping that momentum going into the play-offs.
“I’d honestly say this past month and a half, that’s when we’ve really found the groove and the consistency as a team. You can feel it in the room.”
Making it to Coventry for the first time ever remains a major motivation for the squad, added Stallard, as does rewarding a loyal fanbase who have stuck by the team through some tough spells.
“It’s huge,” he said. “It’s big for the club and big for the city. Hockey’s a growing sport here and if we can do something special here, it would be great.
“We really appreciate the support from the fans all year. We’ve had ups and downs, but they’ve stuck with us, and going into this next month it’s going to be important to have them by our side.
“I honestly think we have the best fans in the league - you see it when you travel around and play other teams. They’re so passionate and you can really feel their energy in the rink, I’d pick Hull over anyone.”