Leeds Knights: Matt Barron hits treble top as Knights enjoy maximum haul on opening weekend of NIHL National play-offs
IT MAY have taken a while for Leeds Knights to get going on the opening weekend of the NIHL National play-offs but, come Sunday night, it was worth the wait.
Saturday in Telford proved a tough test against a Telford Tigers team keen to make up for a disappointing regular season that only saw them scrape into the play-offs on the final weekend.
The Knights established a 2-0 first period lead through Jordan Buesa and captain Kieran Brown before Telford levelled before the halfway mark via goals from Danny Rose and Joe Aston.
Oli Endicott restored Leeds’ lead at 35.37 but a Harry Ferguson strike with just over three minutes remaining ensured the extra five minutes was required, Brown scoring the winner just 94 seconds in.
The Knights got off to a bumpy start on home ice 24 hours later after going behind with just 65 seconds on the clock when Eric Henderson capitalised on a mistake by Sam Gospel to score a short-handed opener..
But the Knights took a 3-1 lead into the first break through two goals in the space of eight seconds of each other by Matt Barron before a power play marker from Mac Howlett at 14.15.
Another short-handed strike - from David Thomson just before the halfway mark - ensured some nerves among the home crowd, but only briefly after Noah McMullin restored the two-goal cushion just 21 seconds later at 30.07 before Buesa made it 5-2 less than two minutes later with a long-range bullet that gave goalie Brad Day no chance.
Any doubts there may have been as to the outcome in the third were put to one side when Howlett and Buesa both doubled their tallies while there was still more than 10 minutes remaining.
Barron completed his hat-trick in the 52nd minute before Finley Bradon was rewarded for another impressive display when he scored on the power play at 55.02.