Leeds Knights 2 coach Davey Lawrence gives verdict on start to NIHL North One campaign
DAVEY LAWRENCE is seeing encouraging signs that his Leeds Knights 2 team are beginning to find their feet in NIHL North One.
Six games in and, after a tough start which brought four straight defeats, the Knights are settling into life in the third tier of English ice hockey.
Saturday night at Elland Road Ice Arena brought a second straight win for Lawrence’s team over Widnes Wild, the hosts running out deserved 5-2 winners to add to the 7-2 triumph they enjoyed in Cheshire the previous weekend.
Lawrence, a vital part of the coaching team that brought two NIHL National league titles and a play-off crown to Leeds over the past two years, expected a tough start for the new team has been charged with overseeing.
He was back at Elland Road on Sunday night as the Knights looked to bounce back from a surprise 2-1 defeat at Berkshire Bees.
But it is one rung lower that his main focus is this season, a role he is relishing and one which is already bringing rewards.
“We had a tough start, so it’s nice to get a couple of wins under our belt,” said Lwerence. “I think we’re learning a lot. It's a big learning curve, a big learning process but we are getting better week on week.
“There are going to be more tough challenges coming up but that couple of wins just sets us up nicely to give us a bit of confidence and a welcome boost in morale for that group.
“It was tough but they were good outings for us at the start and a good test for us to find where we are in this league against some of that better opposition and know that we can compete.
“I think it’s a bit of that monkey off the back scenario and you can see the boys are getting better week on week, in practice as well as games
“We knew it was going to be a big learning curve and that we have some players who had not played at this level before, even.
“So it is going to take time but, I think from my point of view, and for Ryan (Aldridge, Knights’ head coach) and Steve (Nell, team owner), I think it’s going in the right direction in terms of where we want it to go.”
It was Widnes who took the lead with just over five minutes gone, the puck turned over on the edge of the Wild zone to allow Bailey Thomson to break clear before firing past Dan Norton down low.
It took a while for the Knights to find their feet but they managed to draw level shortly before the first break when Matt Barlow fired home from the top of the left circle through traffic on the power play at 19.07.
The second period is where the game was won as the Knights started to take control, going ahead at 25.21 when Michael Danecko found the top left-hand corner after Jake Wigginton’s initial shot had been saved.
Six minutes later, the Knights broke clear on a 2-on-1 while shorthanded, Barlow’s precision finish making it 3-1 as he left Wild netminder Harry Campbell with no chance.
Bailey Perre created his own opening just over seven minutes into the third when he won the puck in the neutral zone before breaking clear and making it 4-1.
A skilful tip-in from Owen Dell off a clever feed from Fritz Heinzle from the right wing rammed home the hosts’ advantage at 57.34, with the impressive Norton beaten a second time with just over a minute to go.