Leeds Knights: Sam Zajac set on helping Knights make it to NIHL National finals weekend ‘dance’

But the path to the NIHL National Play-offs Final Four Weekend in Coventry will be anything but simple.

Finishing fourth in the overall regular season standings following last Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Steeldogs, saw the Knights flung into a post-season group with league champions Telford Tigers, Bees IHC and Milton Keynes Lightning, against who they start their play-off campaign on the road tonight.

Sunday is likely to bring another near-sell-out crowd to Elland Road, the occasion being marked by newly-crowned world champion boxer Josh Warrington invited to perform the pre-game ceremonial puck drop.

But while tonight’s clash won’t bring any kind of knockout blow for either team, the Knights will be keen to inflict some long-term damage on the Lightning’s hopes of making it through to the SkyDome Arena grand finale.

For Sam Zajac, he will be hoping it is third time lucky should Leeds make it through to the final four.

Twice with Telford Tigers - once in the final - the Knights’ captain and defenceman has come away empty-handed, although he did enjoy success there earlier in his career with hometown team Whitley Warriors when they won the ENL play-offs.

The 32-year-old has also come unstuck in the post-season at the higher level in the UK game, losing out in the Elite League play-off semi-final in Nottingham when Ryan Finnerty’s Braehead Clan were edged out 3-2 by the coach’s former club Sheffield Steelers.

Some may contest Zajac’s play-off past doesn’t bode well for the Knights. Alternatively, you could argue his luck has to change some time. And, given the way the Knights’ first-ever season has gone - Autumn Cup runners-up and fourth in the league standings - it would not be a total surprise if they can cap their inaugural campaign in the best possible way.

The group format is not something Zajac is unfamiliar with, but it will be a new beast to many of his team-mates who, over the years, will have got use to the aggregate knockout formula of most post-seasons.

As far as Zajac is concerned both play-off groups - the Steeldogs are in with Swindon Wildcats, Peterborough Phantoms and Basingstoke Bison - will be tough to get out of, with the top two from each heading to Coventry.

Given there are six games on the schedule before then, there is a small margin for error - but not too much, insists Zajac. He said: “It’s about making sure you win your home games and claim as many points on the road as you can.

“Compared to the way we used to do the playoffs, there is probably a touch more room for error with this group format.

“But it’s still not a lot. One bad weekend and you’re going to struggle to get to the dance.

“We need to be dialled right in from that first puck drop at Milton Keynes.

“There was never going to be an easy group - we’ll have to be at our best every night.”

Once their play-off place was confirmed, talk in the Knights’ locker room has occasionally been about reaching Coventry.

But Zajac says there is no danger of the Knights getting too far ahead of themselves.

“Everybody wants to get there and once you’re there anything can happen,” he added.

“But we’re not looking forward to a final, or a semi-final – we’re just looking to make sure we get there and be a part of what is a special weekend.”

Zajac said it was important to ensure any appearance at a final four weekend was capitalised on, as they don’t come around too often.

“When you’re younger, you don’t realise how special those weekends are,” he added. “You take it for granted that you’ll be there every year, but it’s not too often you get there as part of the final four.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve made it to these kind of weekends four times. Every year you think you’re going to do it and the next thing you know, you haven’t been for a couple of years and you end up spectating and feel like you’re missing out. Summer definitely seems like it drags on for that bit longer if you don’t make it to the finals weekend.”