Leeds Knights and Hull Seahawks and how home comforts can spearhead NIHL National play-offs push

Last year saw a straight two-leg knockout format employed by league bosses for the quarter-finals, the four winners going on to Coventry’s SkyDome Arena where two one-off semi-finals produced a final between Leeds Knights and Raiders, Ryan Aldridge’s team going on to secure a league and play-off double.

This year sees the UK’s second tier revert to the group format in the first phase of the post-season that it opted for two years ago.

It was the league’s first-ever post-season given the inaugural 2019-20 campaign was cut short by the Covid pandemic.

The subject of play-off formats is one that has surrounded the British game for many years, with all divisions – from the Elite League down – placing greater emphasis on the regular season league title, the play-offs little more than a knockout tournament hammered on the end.

Some fans would prefer the best-of format preferred by most other leagues around the world, including the NHL, but that still seems a long way off in the UK – at any level – ice availability seemingly one of the biggest issues.

For now, though, it is the group format that NIHL National teams have been dealt, one that Davies believes offers teams another chance if they suffer a bad opening weekend.

“I think it’s good,” said Davies, whose Seahawks team will be looking to bounce back on home ice on Sunday following their 8-3 defeat at Leeds on Friday night in the rivals’ opening play-off game.

“As clubs, we’re getting more gates which is great. At the end of a long season, though, this format can be a slog and another six really tough games is not easy.

“Most coaches will probably be thinking, if you can win your home games and then pick up another win on the road, that could be enough to get you there.

“We’ll see what happens this weekend but if you offer me and Ryan two points each from this weekend, I think we’ll both be fairly happy with that.”

Aldridge believes the group format gives every team an equal chance of making it to Coventry, while at the same time making it more likely that higher-seeded teams miss out on the semi-finals.

“It is a bit of a double-edged sword,” said Aldridge. “If you have a bad first weekend, then you’ve still got a chance to turn it around.

“I like the idea of play-off series format as well, best of three or best of five series, maybe – hopefully, one day we’ll get to that in the UK.”

• Hull Seahawks and Leeds Knights meet again in the NIHL National play-offs on Sunday at Hull Ice Arena, face-off 5.30. Tickets are available HERE