Highlights: Bracknell Bees 4 Leeds Chiefs 3 - Frustrated Chiefs made to wait for first-ever win

Radek Meidl is congratulated by James Archer on his second goal against Bracknell Bees. Picture courtesy of Kevin Slyfield.

MK Lightning 8 Leeds Chiefs 4: Frustration grows for coach Sam Zajac

The Chiefs player-coach was forced to issue a few home-truths in the locker room after an 8-4 defeat at Milton Keynes on Saturday night, labelling the effort of some of his players in the third period as “disgusting.”

But a positive response 24 hours later at Bracknell Bees – despite a 4-3 defeat – left the 30-year-old player-coach feeling a lot more positive about ending what is now an opening losing streak of four games.

PUSHING ON: Leeds Chiefs' Chris Sykes tries to get some offence going against Bracknell. Picture courtesy of Kevin Slyfield.

“Overall it’s been a tough weekend, but for around 110 minutes we played good, hard, structured hockey,” said Zajac.

“There were 10 or so minutes on Saturday where we got away from our identity and it cost us.

“We spoke at length after Saturday, about the areas that we needed to address and I think the boys responded in the right way with a dominant performance tonight.

“I saw enough to suggest that we’re still building in the right direction, and that Saturday was a bump in the road rather than a massive regression.”

MOVE: Luke Boothroyd tries to clear in front of Sam Gospel's goal at Milton Keynes on Saturday. Picture courtesy of Tony Sargent.

One major positive for the Chiefs is the form of import forward Radek Meidl, who has now taken his goals tally for the season to five after two doubles at the weekend.

The 30-year-old Czech Republic forward added to the two he scored against former club Lightning the previous evening with two more at Bracknell, who had gone into a 2-0 lead inside eight minutes through strikes from Roman Malinik and Josh Ealey-Newman.

Meidl’s first at 11.43 halved the deficit, with his second coming at 36.01, sandwiched between Bees goals from Zac Milton and Ryan Webb.

ON TARGET: Radek Meidl scored four goals across two games at the weekend for Leeds Chiefs. Picture courtesy of Tony Sargent.

James Archer made it a one-goal game again with four minutes remaining, but that was as close as Leeds could get.

There seemed to be much promise about Saturday’s performance in Milton Keynes when, going into the final 10 minutes, the Chiefs were all-square at 4-4.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs the next goal came at their end at 52.20 on a Lightning power play, import Tomas Kana finding a way past Sam Gospel, who was beaten again just over a minute later by Calum Robertson.

With just over four minutes remaining, Gospel was then ejected on a match penalty for fighting, Miles Finney replacing him both on the night and for the following day’s trip to Bracknell. But the back-up was powerless to stop 59th-minute strikes from Ari Nahri and Kana, which added a lop-sided gloss to the Lightning win.

James Archer scored a goal in each game at the weekend for Leeds Cheifs. Picture courtesy of Tony Sargent.

Earlier, Leigh Jamieson had given the Lightning a first-period lead at 13.12 but the Chiefs were level early on after the restart for the second period when Meidl pounced to score on the power play against his former club.

The visitors then took the lead, again on the power play, when Zajac fired home, only for Lewis Clifford’s team to level matters through Rio Grinell-Parke four minutes later, Cale Tanaka then putting his team in front again at 35.35 with former GB international Russ Cowley making it 4-2 early in the third.

But the Chiefs rallied impressively, Meidl taking great delight in scoring a second power play goal against his former employers, before Archer added a fourth at 45.16.

Hopes of a first-ever win rose among the small band of away fans who had made the trip down to Buckinghamshire, but those last 10 minutes dashed those hopes for at least another night.