Leeds Chiefs still got time on their side to reach NIHL National playoffs

STILL IN THERE: Sam Zajac is confident his Leeds Chiefs' team can still make the NIHL National playoffs. Picture courtesy of gw-images.com

At only 2-1 down, there was still everything to play for for Sam Zajac’s team who, once again, had found themselves coming off second best in another close encounter with league leaders Telford Tigers the previous night when they went down 4-2.

But, within five minutes of the restart in East Yorkshire, it was game over. Sam Gospel had been beaten three times and the Chiefs were resigned to another pointless weekend.

As they awake this morning, they will know they are now two points further back in their bid to reach the playoffs, a 4-3 win for Bracknell Bees enough to leapfrog above Raiders IHC and put a 12-point buffer between themselves and bottom-of-the-table Leeds.

ON TARGET: Liam Charnock gave Leeds the lead in Hull on Sunday night, but it was the only high spot on a disappointing night. Picture courtesy of Kevin Slyfield.

But, with 22 games remaining, player-coach Zajac has certainly not given up on making the post-season, believing the opening of the team’s new rink at Elland Road at the end of this month could prove the catalyst for a late push.

“We were really good for 40 minutes and then they got an early one and it kind of fell apart a bit and before we knew it, we were 5-1 down,” said Zajac.

“I think they smelt blood and didn’t give us any room.

“We took the lead and looked really good for those first two periods, so it makes it all the more frustrating. We’ve got to face them another four times this season and we know we need to start taking points off them.

Patrik Valcakimpressed on his first weekend in a Chiefs' shirt, posting two assists. Picture courtesy of Dean Woolley.

“I’m not worrying at the moment about the gap to eighth place. It was a tough ask before the weekend and it is still a tough ask now, so nothing has changed in that respect.

“When we get in that rink of ours, we’re really looking to turn a corner and try not to worry about what other teams around us are doing, I don’t feel we’re quite at that point.

“It is still in our hands if we can get on a good run and, obviously, we need to start doing that. That is still the aim. Every week that is ticked off it is two games less for us to sneak into that playoff spot, but we need to just focus on ourselves and get our game right.”

It was the Chiefs who took the lead in Hull, Liam Charnock getting on the board at 11.21 off a feed from new import signing Patrik Valcak.

Hull struck back, however, before the end of the period through Lee Bonner and went ahead through another goal on the man advantage just before the halfway point through player-coach Jason Hewitt.

That was how it stayed until the second break but, unfortunately for the Chiefs, an early second goal of the night from Hewitt proved pivotal, the hosts quickly surging 5-1 ahead with further strikes from former Chiefs forward James Archer and the returning Matty Davies.

The Chiefs had their chances to reduce the deficit but the game was gone, insult being added to injury in the final few minutes with new signing Matthew Bissonnette making it 6-1 at 54.09.

Gospel was pulled from the firing line to be replaced by Miles Finney, but in the final minute, further gloss was added to the scoreline when Hewitt struck his hat-trick goal, Sam Towner also getting in on the act with 23 seconds remaining.