Will Leeds Knights be made to regret picking Hull Seahawks in NIHL National Cup semi-finals?

FINISHING top of the NIHL National Cup standings left Leeds Knights in the enviable position of choosing who they will face come the semi-final stage.
By Phil Harrison
Published 2nd Jan 2024, 19:43 BST
Updated 2nd Jan 2024, 20:24 BST
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

And, despite Hull Seahawks inflicting their only defeat in their last 10 games, the Knights clearly feel a two-legged instalment of the Yorkshire derby offers them the best chance of progressing to the final.

In the end, whether the Knights picked the Seahawks or one of Milton Keynes Lightning or Swindon Wildcats – the other two teams in the final four – they are guaranteed two difficult nights.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

All we know at this stage is that the first leg will be in Hull, the dates and times for both games are yet to be finalised.

WE'LL MEET AGAIN: Leeds Knights and Hull Seahawks played each other twice just before Christmas, both winning a game apiece. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.WE'LL MEET AGAIN: Leeds Knights and Hull Seahawks played each other twice just before Christmas, both winning a game apiece. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.
WE'LL MEET AGAIN: Leeds Knights and Hull Seahawks played each other twice just before Christmas, both winning a game apiece. Picture: Jacob Lowe/Knights Media.

Hull got the better of the Knights when the two met for the first time in a competitive fixture at Elland Road Ice Arena on Friday, December 22, Matty Davies’s side heading home with a deserved 4-2 win.

They have lost every game since, the Knights visiting East Yorkshire the following day to exact swift revenge in a one-sided 5-0 triumph, the first in what is now a winning streak of five games and which has taken them back to the top of the standings.

In their semi-final showdown, the aggregate winner over the two legs will go forward to meet either the Lightning or the Wildcats in the final.

The Seahawks entertain Sheffield Steeldogs tomorrow, looking to snap a four-game losing streak.

Related topics:Leeds KnightsKnightsYorkshireHullLightning