Leeds Knights 3 Raiders IHC 5 - Dave Whistle frustrated as Knights find home comforts hard to find

AS FAR as head coach Dave Whistle was concerned, it was quite simple. His Leeds Knights team got exactly what they deserved on Saturday night.
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It may have been a new record crowd of 1,267 at Elland Road - or ‘The Castle’ as it is becoming affectionatley known - but they went away disappointed after an efficient Raiders team headed home with both points.

At first, it seemed as if the spectators were going to be treated to a similar kind of goal-fest that the two teams produced back at the start of October in the Autumn Cup when Leeds prevailed 10-4.

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But even though the scoreline after the first period was exactly the same as back then, with the Knights leading 3-2, what happened in the subsequent 40 minutes could not have been more different.

Leeds Knights Brandon Whistle fired two goals on Saturday night, but it couldn't prevent a 5-3 defeat to Raiders. Picture:

Andy Bourke/Podium PrintsLeeds Knights Brandon Whistle fired two goals on Saturday night, but it couldn't prevent a 5-3 defeat to Raiders. Picture:

Andy Bourke/Podium Prints
Leeds Knights Brandon Whistle fired two goals on Saturday night, but it couldn't prevent a 5-3 defeat to Raiders. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints

Hit by injuries to key players, the Knights are suffering at the moment, with Saturday seeing No 1 goaltender Sam Gospel and defenceman Ross Kennedy added to a list that already contains forwards Cole Shudra and Matty Davies and defenceman Jordan Griffin.

But Whistle refused to use that as an excuse after watching his team out-fought by Sean Easton’s team, themselves arriving in Leeds for the second of three games in as many days, with only 12 skaters.

“Yes, we are down on numbers but, so were they, they just wanted it more than we did,” said Whistle. “We were a perimeter team, we didn’t finish checks very hard, we didn’t crash their net enough - we need to create more offence that way, we can’t always make the perfect pass or play.

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“On our power play, we got a goal after about the first 10 seconds the first time we got out there on it, but then they did a good job defending it after that. We were too perimeter and nobody was driving through the holes or screening their goalie – they deserved to win more than we did.”

Leeds were left with four defencemen after Ross Kennedy was forced off in the first period after taking a knock to the head. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.Leeds were left with four defencemen after Ross Kennedy was forced off in the first period after taking a knock to the head. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.
Leeds were left with four defencemen after Ross Kennedy was forced off in the first period after taking a knock to the head. Picture: Andy Bourke/Podium Prints.

The loss of Shudra and Davies - both key offensive contributors - has forced Whistle to rejig his line combinations, with son Brandon playing in between Kieran Brown and Adam Barnes, while Lewis Houston and new, two-way arrival Harry Gulliver working alongside each other with teenagers Mack Stewart and debutant Carter Hamill taking it in turns.

Despite what was to transpire later on, it was an entertaining first period nonetheless, Brown firing the puck home at 9.28 after good work by Barnes, although it was a short-lived lead when, just 40 seconds later, Oliver Baldock reacted quickest to back-hand a rebound off Gospel home.

Already down to five D-men with Griffin injured and Ben Solder back with Manchester Storm, the Knights suffered a further blow in the first when Kennedy was forced off after taking a blow to the head.

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It was another rebound, this time on the power play, that saw Raiders go ahead at 14.39, Dan Scott firing through traffic for Aaron Connolly to pick up the leftovers.

FRUSTRATED: Leeds Knights' head coach David Whistle Picture: James Hardisty.FRUSTRATED: Leeds Knights' head coach David Whistle Picture: James Hardisty.
FRUSTRATED: Leeds Knights' head coach David Whistle Picture: James Hardisty.

Gospel, nursing a hamstring injury which first arose against Swindon Wildcats last weekend, then couldn’t continue, heralding another Knights debut, this time back-up Niks Trapans finding himself called into action with barely 15 minutes on the clock.

But before the 24-year-old Latvian-born stopper was required, he was celebrating an equaliser, Barnes and Brown combining for Whistle to fire home at 15.28.

Three minutes later, Brown and captain Sam Zajac were involved in the build-up to a blast from Whistle which made it 3-2 early into the Knights’ first power play of the night.

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But, thereafter, the goals dried up, both teams creating plenty but Trapans matching Bradley Windebank save for save, apart from when the Raiders levelled at 36.28 when a stretch pass from Sam Cooper found Brandon Ayliffe who raced clear before going five-hole on Trapans.

BIG BLOW: Leeds Knights' goaltender Sam Gospel was forced off injured in the first period. 

Picture courtesy of Kat Medcroft/Swindon WildcatsBIG BLOW: Leeds Knights' goaltender Sam Gospel was forced off injured in the first period. 

Picture courtesy of Kat Medcroft/Swindon Wildcats
BIG BLOW: Leeds Knights' goaltender Sam Gospel was forced off injured in the first period. Picture courtesy of Kat Medcroft/Swindon Wildcats

A scuffle involving Brown and Baldock at the end of the second saw both sit in the box at the start of the third, but it was the Knights who paid the price when they got into more penalty trouble shortly after.

Barnes was first in the box for a slashing call before Lewis Baldwin got called for high sticks, the Raiders making the subsequent 5-on-3 penalty count when Baldock turned and swept the puck past Trapans at 47.19.

As the hosts pushed for the leveller, Ayliffe pounced on a loose puck from a face-off in the Raiders zone before sprinting clear, evading the attentions of Archie Hazeldine and Baldwin and back-handing past Trapans to make it 5-3 at 54.01.

The Knights huffed and puffed - Brown hitting a post late on - but they couldn’t prevent a second successive loss of the regular season.

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