Leeds Knights coach Ryan Aldridge satisfied with team so far after 'split' challenge weekend with Hull Seahawks
RYAN ALDRIDGE declared himself satisfied with his Leeds Knights players after they split their opening weekend of pre-season with Hull Seahawks.
The Seahawks - who saw experienced defenceman Dave Phillips switch to Sheffield Steeldogs on Friday - were good value for their 4-2 win in Hull on Saturday night.
But it was the Knights who prevailed at Elland Road 24 hours later, courtesy of a hat-trick from new import forward Liam Peyton, who completed his treble with a close-range overtime winner.
Both coaches will have been happy with what they saw from their respective teams across the two nights, both teams have another weekend of pre-season games before they start their NIHL National campaigns on Saturday, September 20.
Before then, the Seahawks face a double-header with Solway Sharks, while the Knights do the same against Sheffield Steeldogs, who won both their weekend warm-up games at Edinburgh Capitals under new head coach Slava Koulikov.
“It was way better than on Saturday night,” said Aldridge on Sunday’s performance. “On Saturday, we just weren’t game-ready.
“We talked about not being overly-worried about performances over the four games. This period is about learning, coming together as a group and I think from Saturday night to Sunday we were a completely different team.
“We spoke for quite a bit before the game, the guys took a lot of that on board and it was definitely a good performance.
“I think Hull are a different team this year. Very offensive, more skilled and probably playing a different style which I think is good for them.
“They are a solid hockey team, there’s no doubt about that and their offensive depth is crazy.”
On Sunday, Leeds Knights 2 got their second season underway with a visit to the much-fancied Blackburn Hawks.
After weathering a first period storm to go in trailing just 2-0, the Knights rallied in the second and deservedly halved the deficit through Frank O’Sullivan, scoring on his senior competitive debut, making himself the youngest player to score in NIHL hockey at 15 years and 257 days.
Despite several near chances, it was only the Hawks who found the net again, beating Dan Norton for a third time to enjoy a 3-1 home win.
Davey Lawrence’s team are in action again this Sunday when they host Nottingham Lions in their first home game of the season at Elland Road Ice Arena (face-off 7pm).