Harrison Walker stands tall to keep Leeds Knights NIHL National title bid on track

Back-up netminder Harrison Walker has had few chances to show his quality between the pipes for Leeds Knights this season.

When you are the support act for No 1 Sam Gospel - considered by many to be the best goalie in NIHL National - it should come as little surprise.

But the late unavailability of Gospel for Friday night’s game at Swindon Wildcats saw 21-year-old Walker thrust on to centre stage for only his second start of the 2023-24 season.

With the Knights closing in on a second league title in as many years, the pressure was on.

But former Bradford Bulldogs’ junior Walker delivered everything that was required of him, his man-of-the-match performance back-stopping his team to a 2-1 win that increased their lead to 10 points over closest challengers Milton Keynes Lightning.

Even more impressively, he backed up that display with another win 24 hours later on home ice, when he helped the Knights to a hard-fought 6-4 triumph over Hull Seahawks.

No wonder head coach Ryan Aldridge was so pleased.

“Harrison coming in, he has been unbelievable,” said Aldridge. “He was unbelievable on Friday night and again against Hull.

“Obviously it helps when the boys play tight defensively in front of him, but that shouldn’t take anything away from him or his performances.”

Goals from Finn Bradon and Matt Haywood at the other end complimented Walker’s performance in Swindon, but he needed to be at his best again the following night against a Seahawks team who had already won twice at Elland Road Ice Arena this season.

Having seen a Mac Howlett strike earlier ruled out for high sticks, the Knights went ahead at 13.15 through a fierce shot from Jake Witkowski in the left circle, although Hull were level before the end of the first period through a close-range effort from Owen Sobchak.

The tricky Canadian forward then put his team ahead with a second goal at 23.30 when firing home a rebound from Walker’s initial save off Emil Svec when the visitors found themselves on a 2-on-1 breakaway.

A second for Witkowski, from a similar position to his first but this time on the power play, dragged the hosts level at 27.37 before Jordan Buesa finished off a shorthanded 2-on-1 breakaway at 29.59 after Howlett had broken clear down the right boards.

Witkowski then drove into the right circle before setting up Matt Haywood at the back door to make it 4-2 at 41.14 but Hull were level 28 seconds later through Owen Bruton.

Leeds restored their two-goal lead through Buesa at 51.24 but the visitors made sure the points were not going to go easily to their Yorkshire rivals when they hit back quickly once agin, this time through a neat finish from close in by Brock Bartholomew just 21 seconds later.

Leeds were effectively required to kill the final four minutes after Witkowski was binned on hooking and misconduct calls.

But Hull struggled to make the extra man count and as they scrambled to find a way though came undone when Haywood robbed Bartholomew on the edge of the visitors’ zone before setting up Howlett at the back post for a second short-handed strike of the night at 57.25 to seal a deserved win.