Leeds Knights 4 Milton Keynes Lightning 5 (OT): Treble dream over for Knights as Lightning strike overtime winner

The Knights had looked down and out with only nine seconds of regulation time left until captain Kieran Brown fired home a stunning equaliser to take the game into overtime.

But it was the Lightning who prevailed just over halfway through the 10 minutes of 5-on-5, shattering the Knights’ treble dream.

It brought the curtain down on a pulsating encounter between two teams who had already gone toe to toe all season in the league, the Knights prevailing for a third year running, as well as adding to their National Cup success in March.

And while there was no triumphant ending for veteran centre Matt Haywood, who now retires having helped the Knights enjoy three successful years during his time in West Yorkshire, he still bows out with an impressive league and cup double.

For the Lightning, they will now meet Peterborough Phantoms in Sunday’s final, Slava Koulikov’s team beating Swindon Wildcats 4-2 in the earlier semi-final at Coventry’s SkyDome Arena and keen top hold on to the play-off crown they won 12 months ago at the expense of Leeds after a shootout.

As expected in the evening game, it was a frantic pace from the off, the Lightning putting the Knights goal under pressure with two or three close-range efforts, one of which needed Sam Gospel to be on his toes to deny.

At the other end, Matt Bissonnette and Finley Bradon - presented with the NIHL National Young Player of the Year award before the game - both going just the wrong side of Jordan Hedley’s right-hand post.

The breakthrough arrived early at the other end, though, Jordan Cownie allowed too much time and space to pick his spot in the top left-hand corner of Gospel’s net from the left circle with just 6.40 on the clock.

The first power play arrived less than two minutes later and it proved crucial, Patrik Forsberg taking exception to Oli Endicott poking for the puck after Hedley had covered the puck and throwing a few punches in the corner.

He got a 2+2 roughing call as a result – Endicott got just two minutes – with the Knights needing just nine seconds on the man advantage to pull themselves level when Matt Barron scored five-hole on Hedley at 8.18.

Former Knights’ forward Harry Gulliver made sure Gospel was alert when trying his luck from a tight angle in the left circle before Lawrence forced another save from the Knights’ goalie soon after.

It was another power play that proved crucial, though, Jordan Griffin getting involved in some unnecessary afters by the penalty box and then going for a sit inside one of them for roughing.

The Lightning eventually got set up and it was Lawrence who struck the blow, firing through traffic to put his team ahead for a second time at 16.25.

The Knights didn’t take long to pull themselves level after the restart.

Sustained pressure saw Barron denied by a brilliant, full-stretch save from Hedley at his near post, the puck eventually finding its way to Bow Neely on the blue line, the defenceman firing through traffic and into the roof of the net at 24.45.

A delay of game call on Ethan Hehir presented the Lightning with another power play opportunity and after the adventurous Barron went close to putting the Knights ahead with a wraparound, play returned to the Knights zone where Mack Stewart pounced to fire through Gospel from eight yards out just after the halfway mark.

Six minutes later it got worse for the Knights following a moment of magic from Ross Venus, who turned on a sixpence under pressure from Noah McMullin before firing into the roof of Gospel’s net from the tightest of angles to make it 4-2.

In keeping with the frenetic pace of this tie, the Knights were determined not to go quietly into the night, Endicott threw a speculative shot on goal, Hedley parrying away to his right only for Haywood to fire it into the empty net to make it a one-goal game again at 38.03.

For a split second early in the third, Leeds thought they had equalised when the again-excellent Barron rounded the net and believed he had poked the puck over the line, only to have the officials wave it off.

Venus came close to grabbing his second of the game but was denied by Gospel in the 47th minute, while Lawrence should have done better two minutes later when he eluded McMullin only to fire high and wide.

Leeds had three good looks on a power play they were given after former Knights’ defenceman Ben Solder was sent to the box for high sticks in the 52nd minute.

At the other end, Gospel had to stretch out his right leg to its fullest to deny Gulliver just before Aldridge called a timeout.

His words clearly had some effect as Bissonnette almost squeezed the puck in at Hedley’s right-hand post before Barron cannoned one of the top-left hand corner of the Lightning stopper’s post.

It seemed as if that was as close as the Knights would get, Aldridge pulling Gospel with more than a minute remaining.

But, with just nine seconds remaining, the extra man told, the puck landing on the stick of Brown, who put aside a frustrating night for himself when he fired low through a crowd of bodies and past the unsighted Hedley.

The Lightning players sunk to the ice, their fans’ celebratory singing stopped in its tracks.

But they were to eventually have the last laugh when, just over five minutes into overtime, Lawrence showed great skill and balance when shaking off his marker and rounding Gospel to back-hand the puck over the line.