LEEDS KNIGHTS’ head coach Ryan Aldridge expects no easy rides in the NIHL National play-offs after coming through their opening test of the post-season unscathed. The league and cup champions started their bid for an unprecedented treble by taking four points from the weekend in their two games with Telford Tigers. Tom Watkins’ team only scraped into the post-season on the final weekend, but that counted for nothing as they pushed Leeds all the way in the opening tie in Telford on Saturday.
It required a Kieran Brown overtime winner to secure the win for the Knights, who started terribly at the start of the return match in Leeds the following night.
After going 1-0 behind to a short-handed strike from Eric Henderson, the Knights rallied to take a 3-1 lead into the second period.
But the Tigers showed no signs of giving up, as David Thomson’s second shorthanded goal put them back in the game.
However, there was only one winner as Jordan Buesa and Noah McMullin hit the net. The latter, like teammate Mac Howlett, scored a second goal in the third period, and Matt Barron completed his hat-trick after scoring twice in the first.
The Knights next face Hull Seahawks, desperate to make up ground after splitting their weekend with Peterborough Phantoms and Aldridge says there will be no let up for his players over the next two weeks.
“The next two weekends are going to be really tough, all three weekends will prove to be,” said Aldridge. “It’s proper playoff hockey and I think the boys underestimated the speed and the desire that Telford was going to come in with.
“They are a hard, well-coached hockey team – a team I feel are built for play-offs. We probably didn’t deserve the points (on Saturday) and again I was frustrated with our play at times (on Sunday) – but to come away with the way we ended it, was good.”
Aldridge reserved special praise for Buesa, the Scottish-born forward having taken a while to warm up in his second season with the team but already has three play-off goals to his name.
The most notable of these was his debut on Sunday, when he charged into the Tigers’ zone and fired an unstoppable rocket of a shot into his upper left corner, narrowly evading goaltender Brad Day.
Alrdiege continued, “I thought Jordan was phenomenal (on Sunday).” “You knew he was going to score as soon as he picked up the puck, and he scored some big goals and made some big plays.”
“However, that first goal was incredible, and I believe the calibre of that goal inspired the entire team and the entire building.”
