Leeds Knights bounce back in style to even score with Peterborough Phantoms
HAVING seen his Leeds Knights team suffer rare back-to-back defeats, Saturday night provided exactly the kind of response Ryan Aldridge will have been hoping for.
The return of captain Kieran Brown added a little jump to the Knights line-up for Saturday night’s visit from Peterborough Phantoms, who were looking to repeat their opening weekend win against the three-time NIHL National champions on home ice.
But even though the Phantoms managed to ensure there was near-parity going into the third period, they ultimately had no answer as the hosts produced one of their most assured performances this season.
And even though it was Brown who got the ball rolling in the night minute with a close-range finish after good work from Matt Bissonnette behind the net, it was Oli Endicott - much like in the 3-2 overtime defeat to Basingstoke Bison a week earlier - who was the star of the show.
Two goals - carbon-copy efforts which saw him cut in from the left to work the puck through Phantoms’ netminder Hayden Lavigne’s five-hole - were enhanced by three assists, offering further proof of the 21-year-old forward’s growing importance to this season’s Knights roster.
To add to the celebratory mood come the end of the game, Innes Gallacher again showed growing value with a calm 53rd-minute finish, while import defenceman Sam Dunn displayed the biggest smile of the night when he and Endicott combined on a 2-on-1 breakaway to give the Canadian the chance to coolly finish the move for his first goal in a Knights jersey.
“We needed a performance like that, I think, to come away 6-2 up,” said a delighted head coach Aldridge ahead of Sunday night’s derby test in Hull. “I’m proud of the boys because they played great.”
On Brown’s return, he added: “He gives us a chance to win every night and he can do everything.
“He’s got great vision and he’s deadly in front of the net. Whenever he is out of the line-up it is a bit of a struggle, so it was great to have him back.”