Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

AS is often said or written, the difference between success and failure in sport can be minimal.

Contests are determined by such ‘fine margins’ on a regular basis.

Hull Seahawks 4 Leeds Knights 3 - Little to choose between Yorkshire rivals aft...

The ongoing NIHL National Cup semi-final tie between Leeds Knights and Hull Seahawks is just another example of that.

GAME ON: Ryan Aldridge (back row, left) hopes his Leeds Knights team can overturn the one-goal deficit from the semi-final first leg at Hull Seahawks. Picture: Stephen Cunningham/Knights Media.

As the first leg was approaching the final 10 minutes at Hull Ice Arena on Wednesday night, the Seahawks found themselves 4-2 ahead but on a 5-on-3 penalty kill against the Knights.

All of a sudden, Seahawks’ Finlay Ulrick found himself all alone in centre ice rampaging towards the Knights goal and with only Sam Gospel to beat.

His fierce shot beat Gospel, only to then cannon off the inside of the netminder’s left-hand post and away to safety.

Within a minute, Mac Howlett rammed the puck home from close range to bring his team back to within one goal and therefore far better positioned for the second leg back on home ice.

It could prove to be the whole tie’s most pivotal moment but, as far as Seahawks’ coach Matty Davies is concerned, whether his team had been one goal or three goals up coming into Leeds tonight, it would not have made their task any easier.

“Imagine if that had gone in, the rink would have gone mental,” said Davies. “But, that’s sport and it sometimes happens like that.

“To be honest, it isn’t going to matter whether we are two, three goals up, it will still have made Friday just as difficult.”

As for his former coach and Knights’ counterpart Ryan Aldridge, he was pleased to get through the first leg still in contention, his team hampered by a sickness bug and also Ridiculously, Witkowski’s suspension is still to be officially announced by the renamed governing body England Ice Hockey’s ‘DOPS’ department, but neither player will be back for Friday night’s second leg at Elland Road Ice Arena (7.30pm).

“We have to be pleased with Wednesday, especially bringing it back to within one at the end,” said Aldridge, whose team led twice in the first period. “I thought we played with a bit of cup nerves on Wednesday, weren’t really ourselves.

“We’ve got a few sicknesses going around the team and obviously we were missing Dylan and Wit’.

“But it is what it is, we've just got to chip away and find a way. It will be important to get a good start on Friday at ours, get the crowd behind us and see what we can achieve.”

Leeds Knights v Hull Seahawks - Knights look to make most of 'reprieve' to secure final berth