Leeds Knights: 'Character' the key ingredient on pivotal weekend for title-chasing Knights
IT is a case of ‘as you were’ for Leeds Knights as they embark on perhaps the toughest weekend yet of their 2024-25 NIHL National campaign in pursuit of an unprecedented third regular season title.
Only two teams have won the regular season crown since the inception of the current incarnation of the second-tier of UK hockey came back in 2019.
Telford Tigers ruled in NIHL National either side of the Covid pandemic, before the Knights conquered all before them in both 2023 and 2024.
The Knights go into the upcoming weekend locked on the same points as leaders Milton Keynes Lightning, who welcome them on Saturday night.
The Knights have a game in hand which comes on Friday night at Romford Raiders, one of two games either side of the trip to Milton Keynes which pits Ryan Aldridge’s team against teams still looking to clinch a play-off spot.
The Raiders can do so tonight if they beat the Knights, with Solway Sharks needing to win at home to Sheffield Steeldogs on Saturday if they are to have anything to play for when they arrive at Elland Road Ice Arena on Sunday.
As is often the case in these kinds of circumstances, there are plenty of ifs, buts and maybes.
The Knights could actually celebrate a third straight title IF they win all three games this weekend and other results go their way – basically, if Milton Keynes fail to get the better of them on Saturday.
It remains a big ‘if’, though – but there is a possibility they could find themselves celebrating another regular season triumph after Sunday’s game against Solway. So long as they also win that game.
Either way, you won’t find anyone within the Knights’ locker room publicly discussing such possibilities.
Aldridge and his players are not getting any further ahead than the next game in front of them - they are leaving all the various permutations to those outside the locker room.
“We basically just don’t change anything,” said Aldridge. “We just prepare as normal. Focus on us and do what we do right.
“It’s going to be a tough weekend - all three nights it is going to be tough.
“We literally just have to take it one game at a time. There is no danger of focusing on anything too far ahead.
“The boys understand that we can’t go into Romford and not play the way we know we need to.
“Everybody has got to step up this weekend. This is a character weekend, where our boys have got to show up and be counted.”