Leeds Knights coach Ryan Aldridge looking for Milton Keynes Lightning repeat show after going clear at the top

The Knights head coach saw his team go two points clear at the top of the regular season standings with a comprehensive 7-2 win at Romford Raiders on Friday night.

They now head to Milton Keynes on Saturday looking to strengthen their claims for a third straight league crown.

Captain Kieran Brown lived up to his leading man status in Romford, posting a hat-trick and an assist to take him to 100 points in the league and 105 for the season overall.

Looking ahead to Saturday night’s top two showdown with the Lightning at Elder Gate, Aldridge is looking for his players to replicate the performance that brought them two points in a 4-2 win there last month.

“I thought we were professional in the last game we were down there,” said Aldridge. “I thought we went in there and did our job, played our game, played it really well - we just need another performance like that.

“Anything can happen, though, the way they are going and the way we are going, it is two good hockey teams - but we know what we’re capable of.”

The Knights could potentially seal a third straight title on Sunday night, providing they win in Milton Keynes and then at home to Solway Sharks - together with a loss in Telford for the Lightning.

They got off to the perfect start in Romford when Oli Endicott got on the end of a Finlay Bradon feed to fire the puck home through the legs of netminder Owen Rider after just 17 seconds.

The Knights looked like taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission when Dylan Hehir struck with his first goal of the season, rewarded for driving deep into the Romford and seeing his pass across the front of net diverted in.

But Romford hit back just nine seconds later to halve the deficit when poor puck management allowed Jack Cooper’s mishit shot to fall kindly for Jake Sylvester to fire home past Sam Gospel, who was already committed to the initial shot.

The Knights were quick to restore their two-goal lead in the second when Matt Barron won a face-off and squared for Brown to fire in his first from close range in the 25th minute.

It was a similar point in the third period when the Knights strengthened their grip further, Matt Haywood breaking down centre ice, finding Jordan Buesa on his right, the Scot checking and stepping inside to rifle the puck into Rider’s top left-hand corner.

Gospel had to be at his best when denying Sylvester with his outstretched right leg in the 48th minute. It proved crucial as, just a minute later, Noah McMullin fed Brown who fired into the roof of the net from the top of the right circle to make it 5-1 at 48.46.

Romford pulled one back just over a minute later through a deflected effort from Thomas Palmer, but it was a mere footnote as good work from Barron in the left corner saw him evade his man before setting up Matt Bissonnette to make it 6-1 at 50.45.

Bissonnette then turned provider when his pinpoint pass from inside the Knights’ zone found Brown who sped clear of his man to fire an unstoppable shot past Rider for a shorthanded strike at 52.49.