Sheffield Steeldogs claim derby bragging rights again but Leeds Knights get back on top of NIHL National

As on Friday when Greg Wood’s team prevailed 3-2 at Elland Road Ice Arena thanks to a late Jonathan Kirk strike, this derby encounter at Ice Sheffield, was fiercely tight, the Steeldogs prevailing in overtime by the same scoreline thanks to a second goal of the night from Matt Bissonnette.

It was harsh on the Knights in some ways, particularly given the way they saw out a 5-on-3 power play for almost two minutes at the end of regulation.

It was enough for a point, a point that takes them back top of the NIHL National standings above Milton Keynes Lightning, both teams locked on 68 points, but with the Knights having two games in hand.

The first of those games comes on Wednesday night when they head back to Raiders IHC, scene of a 9-0 triumph on Sunday evening. Any repeat of that result - the scoreline matters little - will be most welcome by Ryan Aldridge and his players, it being their fourth game in six days.

The Steeldogs went one better by playing the same number of games in five days, the two wins over Leeds sandwiching a shoot-out defeat to Raiders and a loss on the road at Telford Tigers.

They now sit seven points behind third-placed Peterborough Phantoms - themselves two off the top two - but hopes of a top-three finish for the Steeldogs requires a near-miracle, given they have just 13 regular season games remaining.

It was they who made all the early running through chances for Jason Hewitt - twice - and Jonathan Kirk, all turned away by Sam Gospel.

Two minutes had barely passed on the clock when the deadlock was broken, but at the other end.

Ethan Hehir burst down the right before throwing the puck towards goal where an advancing Carter Hamill was advancing, only for it to be deflected by an unsuspecting Dmitri Zimozdra by the stick of Steeldogs’ unfortunate captain Lewis Bell.

It was a tetchy derby encounter, much like Friday, but everybody kept themselves in check, although the Knights will have been left frustrated with the manner of the Steeldogs’ 16th-minute equaliser.

It was a soft tripping call which sent Cole Shudra to the box at 15.21, the subsequent power play only 11 seconds old when a well-worked move saw Alex Graham feed Bissonnette who ripped it past Gospel from the right hash marks.

Ryan Aldridge juggled his lines around in the second, perhaps looking for some kind of spark, but he will have also been frustrated at the Steeldogs’ second goal at 32.28.

There seemed little danger when the puck was stopped dead behind the net by Gospel, but a breakdown in communication allowed Graham to gain control of it, tee up Hewitt, whose effort seemed to be going wide until it took a deflection off the unfortunate Archie Hazeldine and into the Knights net.

But there were still plenty of twists and turns to come, as proved by the Knights as the game moved into the final 10 minutes.

Teenager Finley Bradon has impressed Aldridge since arriving on a two-way deal from Billingham Stars and he had been given plenty of ice time for Leeds all night, repaying the faith of his coach when finishing off a move involving Brooks and Cole Shudra by blasting a one-timer past Zimozdra from 15 yards out between the circles.

A high sticks call on Graham offered the Knights a chance to take the lead, but while their power play failed to deliver again, their penalty kill proved their saving grace a short while later.

Lee Haywood looked as if he had won the game for the hosts when he danced his way around Gospel only to be denied by a sprawling dive on the line by Cole Shudra.

Gospel got called for tripping but, on the delayed penalty, Kieran Brown then got called for holding.

Once play stopped, it left the Knights facing a 5-on-3 power play for the last 104 seconds of regulation.

Shudra again laid his body on the line, producing two huge blocks before Haywood blocked from Kirk and then carried the puck deep into the Steeldogs’ zone to run down the clock.

The remainder of the two-man advantage was killed in overtime but when Brooks drove hard to the net he was called for goaltender interference.

It left the Knights on the kill again and, this time, they couldn’t repeat their earlier efforts, Bissonnette finding time and space in the bottom of the left circle from where he beat Gospel over his right shoulder at his near post.