Kieran Brown returns to provide spark to Leeds Knights as another injury hits
KIERAN BROWN returns to the Leeds Knights line-up with coach Ryan Aldridge hoping his top points scorer will be keen to make up for lost time.
The 25-year-old found himself suspended for three games after a cross-checking call during the Knights’ 6-5 win at Bristol Pitbulls on March 21.
It meant he missed the final game of the regular season for the Knights at home to Peterborough Phantoms plus last week’s play-off double header against Telford Tigers.
“When Kieran is in the line-up you always know you are going to score - there is a higher possibility that you are going to score at least one goal that night with Kieran in there,” said Knights’ head coach Ryan Aldridge, who is without 17-year-old forward Danny Harrison for the rest of the season after he sustained an upper-body injury in the 4-3 overtime loss at Telford.
“And when Kieran gets one, he normally gets two and, with it being play-offs, if he can come in having missed a couple of games with the bit between his teeth that we are looking for, hopefully it will give us that spark offensively that I feel we were lacking last week.”
On Harrison’s injury – one that means he will also miss the Under-18s Division 2A World Championships in Romania with Great Britain next week, Aldridge, said: “It’s a tough one for the lad – especially with the GB 18s next week, I feel for him.”
The loss of Harrison is the latest in a number of injuries to hit the Knights this year, with forwards Innes Gallacher, Arturs Mickevics and defenceman Matt Staudacher all seeing their seasons ended early at various points.