Leeds Knights rest up ahead of crunch week and hectic NIHL National title run-in

GIVEN the pivotal week they have ahead of them, the postponement of Sunday’s game at Raiders IHC may well work to Leeds Knights’ advantage.
By Phil Harrison
Published 28th Jan 2024, 16:45 GMT
Updated 29th Jan 2024, 12:45 GMT
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Ryan Aldridge’s team face three games in four days, starting with Wednesday’s first leg of their NIHL National Cup semi-final at Hull Seahawks.

The concluding leg comes on Friday at Elland Road, where the current league leaders remain for Saturday’s visit from a Raiders team battling desperately to make the post-season.

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The extra day’s rest for the Knights will no doubt also be welcomed following Friday night’s gruelling 3-2 win over closest rivals Milton Keynes Lightning, a result which briefly put the Knights seven points clear with two games in hand.

REST UP: Leeds Knights and Ryan Aldridge got an unexpected Sunday off with the postponement of their game at Raiders. Picture: Bruce RollinsonREST UP: Leeds Knights and Ryan Aldridge got an unexpected Sunday off with the postponement of their game at Raiders. Picture: Bruce Rollinson
REST UP: Leeds Knights and Ryan Aldridge got an unexpected Sunday off with the postponement of their game at Raiders. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

The situation looked like getting even worse for the Lightning on Saturday when they found themselves trailing 3-1 at home to fourth-placed Peterborough Phantoms, before they turned things around to run out 8-3 winners.

With neither side in action on Sunday, it means the Knights start the week five points clear with just the one game in hand.

But with 20 regular season games still remaining, the bigger concern may be the form of Swindon Wildcats, barrelling up on the rails in third place.

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The Wildcats saw the start of their campaign hampered by the forced closure of their Link Centre rink when it was flooded back in the Autumn.

RUN-IN: The bigger threat to Leeds Knights' NIHL National title aspirations may come from Swindon Wildcats, who they face three more times during the 2023-24 regular season. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.RUN-IN: The bigger threat to Leeds Knights' NIHL National title aspirations may come from Swindon Wildcats, who they face three more times during the 2023-24 regular season. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.
RUN-IN: The bigger threat to Leeds Knights' NIHL National title aspirations may come from Swindon Wildcats, who they face three more times during the 2023-24 regular season. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.

But they are clearly making up for lost time now they have returned to home ice, pulling themselves to within nine points of the Knights following Saturday night’s 8-1 home thrashing of visitors Solway Sharks.

Despite their subsequent 6-2 loss at Hull on Sunday – presumably the only favour Matty Davies will do for his former club this week – on paper, they may represent the greater challenge to the Knights’ hopes of retaining their regular season title.

The two have to play each other three more times, twice in Swindon.

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The Knights’ head coach is certainly not taking anything for granted given there is so much hockey still to be played.

“Every game is massive now,” said Aldridge after goals from Mac Howlett, Jordan Buesa and Matt Haywood earned his side the points in a pulsating hard-fought clash with the Lightning in front of a sellout crowd on Friday.

“We’re getting to crunch time, are Milton Keynes going to get points back on us? Of course they are but Swindon are right on everyone’s tail, too.

“I said a while back that everybody had better watch out once Swindon got back home. There’s a lot of hockey to come still.”

Related topics:Leeds KnightsElland RoadSwindonLightning