Leeds Knights happy to take on the extra load again in bid to secure dream end to season

The combative 26-year-old forward has reached the semi-finals in each of the past two seasons but, on both occasions - with former club Swindon Wildcats - he has failed to progress.

But, having got to Coventry once again - this time with Leeds Knights - the left-hander is gunning for a different outcome.

And, having seen what the Knights are capable of when short-benched as they were last weekend at Milton Keynes - and which they will be once again when they take on Sheffield Steeldogs at the SkyDome Arena on Saturday afternoon - he is hoping Lightning can strike twice.

Boasting just seven forwards and five defencemen, the Knights enjoyed a stunning 6-5 win in Buckinghamshire, booking their semi-final spot at the first attempt when most observers expected them to come off second-best and, most probably, see their post-season journey end at the group phase.

It was the kind of performance in the face of adversity in a season dominated by several long-term injuries and the occasional illness that has come to characterise the 25-26 Knights roster.

“It was unbelievable,” said Pakozdi of the game in Milton Keynes. “We’re going to be short again in Coventry so it was good for us to have one game under our belts being so short-benched.

“Just to see what that feels like and kind of go through that adversity. And now we know we’re comfortable playing with that many guys and we know how that feels and I think that is only going to help us when it comes to Saturday.”

“Everyone seems to find a bit more, everyone seems to find that extra gear and you just get a bit more responsibility put on you and I think a lot of our players are gamers - they like that extra responsibility, they thrive in that environment.

“So we have shown we can play well going through that and it’s been a real positive for our group.”

Coming up against the Steeldogs in Saturday’s first semi-final will represent another tough assignment for head coach Ryan Aldridge’s players.

There may be some who feel the Knights have a score to settle given their overtime defeat to their Yorkshire rivals in the NIHL National Cup final back in March.

But Pakozdi said there was no point looking back as it had no bearing on what was at stake in Coventry.

“It’s been a long season,” added Pakozdi. “I don’t really think about any of that stuff, we could be playing Basingstoke, Solway - I don’t care.

“It is a one-off game, it doesn’t matter what the history is, if they beat us six times in the regular season, or eight times or whatever or we beat them eight times, it just doesn’t matter.

“It’s a new rink, nobody is at home, nobody is away, so that doesn’t really come into it.

“It’s just one more game that we’ve got to win and if we play our best, I think we’ll win.”

Having made the move to Leeds last summer with the expectation of winning - given the Knights’ unrivalled pedigree in that respect - the season so far has had a tinge of disappointment for Pakozdi.

But he believes there is a genuine chance to put a stop to that this weekend.

“If somebody had told me at the start of the season that this was the outcome, I don’t think I would have been happy with that,” said Pakozdi.

“But I think that with everything we have gone through, we can look back and say it is not the worst season ever.

“To win this weekend would be unbelievable. The last two years with Swindon, we lost in the semi-finals twice, so it would be nice to at least make it to the final.

“And if we do, to then go and win it - that would be something we could all be really proud of and would be a great achievement for this group.”