Leeds Knights offer perfect riposte to Sheffield Steeldogs defeat by thrashing Raiders

Aldridge cut a clearly frustrated figure after the 3-2 reverse against his team’s Yorkshire rivals on home ice but will have found it hard to be critical after his side’s emphatic 9-0 win at Raiders on Sunday.

The dominant display wasn’t quite enough to return them to the top of the NIHL National standings, but it was another indication of this team’s ability to bounce back quickly from setbacks.

The defeat to Sheffield marked only the second time this season the Knights had suffered back-to-back losses and they were clearly determined for that losing run to be extended any further.

It wasn’t all plain sailing as the scoreline in Romford suggests, with the visitors only ahead by a sixth-minute Matt Haywood strike by the time the first intermission came around.

But, just after the halfway stage, centre Haywood had secured himself a hat-trick, while captain Kieran Brown continued his scoring streak by making it 5-0 by the time the hooter for the second intermission sounded.

Raiders, who would have gone into the game on a high following their 4-3 win on a shoot-out at Sheffield the night before, had no answer, particularly when Cole Shudra extended the lead just 24 seconds into the third period.

Jake Wikowski, already with four assists to his name, grabbed himself a deserved goal at 46.38, Haywood making it four for the night just under eight minutes later, before Brown made it a hat-trick for himself with just 61 seconds remaining.

It will all have made for a happy bus ride home back up the M1 for Aldridge and his players, although they will have to make the trip again on Wednesday, their fourth game in six days.

Before then, they face an eagerly-anticipated reunion with the Steeldogs at Ice Sheffield on Valentines Day.

However, given the often feisty nature of Friday’s clash at Elland Road, however, there is unlikely to be much love going around the ice when the two lock horns again.