Leeds Knights: Joe Coulter reveals players’ frustration after NIHL National winning streak is ended

Ashley Tait’s team were full value for their road win in a game they dominated and rarely looked troubled, their defences only being breached with just under two minutes left by Knights’ forward Cole Shudra.

It snapped a three-game winning streak for the Knights and although they remain fifth in the NIHL National standings, Peterborough Phantoms – who they beat 5-4 on Saturday after a shootout – are now within two points with a game in hand as a result of their 7-3 home win over Milton Keynes on Sunday.

“You have to give Basingstoke credit coming in here like they did, they just took everything away from us,” said Coulter.

“You’d get your head up when you’ve got the puck and there was just nothing, a wall of green which was just hard to break down.

“But we could have been a lot better – it was a combination of the two, they were good and we were bad.

“We were a bit flat. We feed off the energy that is in here with all the fans but against Basingstoke we just couldn’t get going.

“It’s frustrating. We let ourselves down as well as everybody in the building who had paid money to come and watch.”

The Knights are on home ice again when they return to action this Saturday against Raiders IHC (face-off 6.30pm).