Leeds Knights emerge in credit and ahead of title rivals with another maximum return

That will be the message to Leeds Knights’ players on Monday morning after they brought the curtain down on a frantic 10 days – a spell which saw them clock up 1,384 miles, play just over 362 minutes of hockey, score 31 goals and, perhaps most importantly in terms of their NIHL National regular season title chances, concede just 13, emerging with nine points from a possible 12.

It has been tough at times - the two one-goal derby losses to Sheffield Steeldogs spring to mind - but they have come out the other side of it still ahead of the chasing pack. But only just.

That ‘pack’ may now be just the one team in the shape of Milton Keynes Lightning who, like the Knights, postsed a four-point weekend courtesy of an emphatic 11-2 home win over the Steeldogs and a hard-fought 5-4 triumph at third-placed Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday night.

That leaves Tim Wallace’s team two points off the Knights at the top, having played a game more.

Peterborough are now a further six points back having played the same number of games as Leeds.

It would seem a three-horse race has almost become a straight shoot-out between Leeds and the Lightning. The two play each other in a home-and-home weekend on the final two days of the regular season on April 1-2.

And while neutrals will be hoping it does go down to the wire, both teams will be aiming to make sure they have the regular season championship in the bag before then. Who that will be, though is anyone’s guess.

But, after some criticism from head coach Ryan Aldridge after what he considered two of their worst performances of the season against the Steeldogs, the Knights responded in excellent fashion over the past two days.

While defending champions Telford Tigers - battling hard to get into the play-offs this year - showed glimpses that they could hurt Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday night, in the end they were - like a number of teams have been this season - blown away 9-3 by the hosts.

A long trip to Basingstoke Bison last night failed to have any lingering effects on the Knights, either, returning home from Hampshire as they did on the back of a 4-1 victory, the goals coming from Jake Witkowski (2), Cole Shudra and Kieran Brown.