Leeds Knights coach Ryan Aldridge on Owen Sobchak's swift impact and the injury blow to Sam Dunn
IF anyone needed to know exactly what Owen Sobchak will bring to Leeds Knights in the remaining months of the NIHL National season, they were given an instant reminder of his quality when he made his debut on Sunday night.
Playing Basingstoke Bison is never an easy proposition, particularly when they are desperate to mark their return to NIHL National after two years away by making the post-season.
The last time they visited Elland Road, they headed home on the back of a 3-2 overtime win, while a 2-0 win for Leeds in Hampshire a few weeks later was far from straightforward.
But with Sobchak installed as the pivot between Kieran Brown and Matt Bissonnette in his first appearance for his new team, the Knights reaped the benefits - the 32-year-old Canadian scoring a goal and two assists in the 4-1 win.
The announcement of his switch from Hull Seahawks shortly before midnight on Friday may have taken many people by surprise - including fans of both teams - but it could prove to be a game-changer for Leeds’ silverware hopes.
Head coach Ryan Aldridge was already looking into the potential of adding some cover given a number of ongoing injury concerns on his roster and when it became known Sobchak may be available, the temptation to add someone of his quality, who also knew and had succeeded in the league previously, was too good to resist.
The process was speeded up only when it became clear that the lower-body injury to import defenceman Sam Dunn would keep him out of the line-up for at least the next four weeks.
It means the Knights keep four imports on the ice in Dunn’s absence - a blow softened by the timely return at the weekend of the experienced Jordan Griffin on the back end.
The recent return from a long-term injury lay-off of fellow blue liner Lewis Baldwin offers further welcome options on the back end for Aldridge, something which came into play in Swindon.
Aldridge’s tough decision over which of his five imports he will need to leave out will not need to be made until February.
“We were looking at protection going forward for the rest of the year, as we have a couple of guys with niggles,” explained Aldridge.
“And as we were talking with Sobs and the deal was getting close to getting done, we then had the bad news about Dunny and so we knew it was something that we had to get done
“It was already happening and in the pipeline before we knew about Sam, but we just needed to make sure it was done.
“Sobs’ record speaks for itself - he’s just a quality player, he knows this league and so we know what we’re getting with him.
“He was the leading point scorer last season and I think he’s the kind of person that can give Bizz and Kieran a bit of a lift, a bit of a spark.”
Despite being sidelined, Dunn is still keen to play his part and helped oversee the defence from the bench alongside Aldridge at the weekend against both Swindon Wildcats and Basingstoke.
Aldridge has loved Dunn’s overall impact since he arrived in Leeds back in October.
“It is a massive loss,” admitted Aldridge. “I love him as a player and as a person. He’s got a real Matty Barron-type personality about him, he sees the bright side of life and he just takes everything in his stride and he plays with a smile on his face.
“Everyone knows I like performances and that I believe we get results from the performances - but he has that real North American mentality where a win is a win and regardless of how we won, we’re celebrating that win.”