Leeds Knights 5 Peterborough Phantoms 2: Resolute hosts maintain 100 per cent start to NIHL National season

But despite recording a 5-2 victory over Peterborough Phantoms at Elland Road on Saturday night, it proved to be anything but simple for Ryan Aldridge’s Leeds Knights team to seal the deal.

It was a grind throughout the 60 minutes and while there were was enough of the usual attacking flair that Knights fans have come to expect from their team already so early in this season, it was mixed with plenty of grit, too.

Having gone 4-0 up just past the halfway mark – following three goals in seven minutes – Leeds looked home and dry. At 4-2 with just over 12 minutes remaining, they looked anything but.

It took a welcome second strike of the night from Cole Shudra – an absolute rocket from 10 yards out – to settle the home nerves as Slava Koulikov’s side pushed hard to make it a one-goal game, after which who knows what can happen. But Shudra’s piledriver came amid plenty of resolute defence from the hosts, as they stood tall against the Phantoms’ expected retaliation.

The two meet again on Sunday night in Peterborough, where the Knights will be required to show the same battling qualities if they want to retain their 100 per cent start to the season, something matched now only by Milton Keynes Lightning after the Swindon Wildcats’ 7-4 loss on the road at Basingstoke Bison.

It was Grant Cooper who gave the Knights the start they were looking for in a game between two unbeaten teams, intercepting the puck before beating Jordan Marr with seven minutes on the clock for his fifth goal of the regular season.

That was how it stayed until a three-goal blitz in seven second period minutes put the home side firmly in control, Cooper doubling his tally at 24.42 with a well-worked powerplay move which saw him fire low past Marr at his left-hand post from the bottom of the right circle.

Next up, it was the turn of the Knights’ first line to get in on the act, captain Kieran Brown finding Matt Haywood in front, from where he skilfully laid off for Adam Barnes to open his account for the season from close range at 29.23.

Just over two minutes later, great work by the hard-working Zach Brooks set up Shudra to get his first of the night, back-handing past the stranded Marr, to send the majority of the 1,100-plus crowd ecstatic.

Crucially, though, Peterborough gave themselves hope within five minutes, Duncan Speirs scoring on the power play at 34.42 to ensure there was no slacking from the home team.

The deficit became just two goals when Austin Mitchell-King struck at 47.38, with just three seconds remaining on the holding penalty handed to the Knights’ Carter Hamill.

The pressure was on, but Sam Gospel stood tall alongside some solid defending in front of him long enough for Shudra to put some further daylight back between the two sides when he fired home his second of the night at 55.48.