Leeds Knights 2: NIHL North One play-off spot still within reach for developing Knights
WITH just three games remaining in their debut season, Leeds Knights 2 remain in the race to make the NIHL North One play-offs.
Given making the post-season was the target at the start of the campaign back in September, coach Davey Lawrence is happy to be in contention for the eighth and final remaining play–off spot.
They are in a straight dogfight with Widnes Wild, who sit two points behind.
It has been a tough first season for the Knights ‘feeder’ team, nobody was expecting an overnight success story or anything that would come close to emulating the success Leeds Knights have achieved above them in NIHL National over the last three seasons.
The focus for Lawrence and the Knights has always been on development, providing a channel for youngsters to take their first steps into senior hockey and, eventually, up into the first team.
“I think for any new team it’s going to be a bit of a challenge,” said Lawrence. “We’re still in the play-off race which is the target we set ourselves early on.
“There’s still a chance we can achieve that, there’s still three games left and so I can’t complain.”
Should they succeed and secure an eighth-placed finish, Lawrence and his team will come up against NIHL North champions Billingham Stars in the play-off quarter-finals.
A daunting challenge, particularly when looking at the results between the two during the regular season with the Stars having comfortably won all four games.
““Because it’s a home and away leg format, it’s anybody’s game really, you’ve only got to turn up on any given day and it can be anybody’s so it’ll be interesting,” added Lawrence.
“If we make it, we’ll draw Billingham and they’ve been a force all year, they’ve not really slipped up at all.
“We’ve had a good look at them throughout the four games we’ve played against them. We’ve not beaten them yet - we ran them close once but the rest of the time we’ve been blown out the water.
“But it’s a learning curve when you’re coming up against a side who have been around for such a long time and are that much more experienced.”
The first of the three remaining Knights’ games comes on Saturday (March 15) when they host Hull Jets at Elland Road Ice Arena. (face-off 7.30pm)
Next weekend sees them complete their regular season schedule with a visit to bottom club Sheffield Scimitars before hosting Nottingham Lions on Sunday (March 23, 6pm).
To buy tickets for the two remaining Leeds Knights 2 home games, go to their website HERE
Lawrence says the biggest achievement has been blooding players into the first team and giving them opportunities at a higher level.
“The team we’ve set up, we’ve set up for the most part for a specific reason, and that’s to allow some of them junior players that are coming to the end of their junior careers that are showing a bit of promise to make that step up into senior hockey,” said Lawrence. “The hope is to push them on further into the National league Knights team. If you’re looking at that as a success marker, I think we’ve been relatively successful.
“We’ve had six guys I think called up into the senior Knights team this year already, three of them have done it more than others, on a more regular basis and they tend to play with the senior Knights team when we don’t have games.
“So looking at it from that angle and the development point of view, I’d say it has been a successful year.
“At the start of the year, I’d have snapped your hand off at that - it’s been good to watch kids develop and find a good way into senior hockey.”
Lawrence admits it will take longer for some players to get to the higher level, but that is only natural.
“Some of them have a lot further to travel with it but they’re getting there,” he added. “The step up from juniors to the first team is a huge step.
“It’s a big jump, but that doesn’t mean it’s not doable. With us being that team slotted in underneath the main Knights team allows us to just nurture that growth a little bit better.
"It provides a platform for them to get used to playing in high-pressure situations and playing against top-end guys who have played together for quite some time and have that experience.”
To buy tickets for the two remaining Leeds Knights 2 home games, go to their website HERE