Leeds Knights stun play-off rivals Milton Keynes Lightning to book place at Final Four Weekend

The Knights - with just seven forwards and five defensemen available from their regular roster - handed debuts to three teenagers as they came up against a full-strength Lightning team.

Having trailed 2-0 at the first intermission, the Knights floored their hosts when they scored five unanswered goals in the second period.

The Lightning rallied in the third and came back within one goal with just over eight minutes remaining.

But, in their desperation to get back on level terms and with the clock ticking down, they pulled goalie Jordan Hedley with 92 seconds remaining.

The risk was duly punished when Oli Endicott fired into the empty net with 27 seconds remaining for a 6-4 lead.

There was still time for the Lightning to get back to within one again when Jarvis Hunt beat Sam Gospel but, with just four seconds left on the clock, their season was over.

For the Knights, it marked perhaps one of the best wins in their short five-year history - given the circumstances - and also saw them avenge last year’s play-off semi-final defeat to the Lightning in Coventry.

With four players away on GB Under-18s duty at the Division 2A World Championships and two more youngsters in Danny Harrison and Frank O’Sullivan having seen their seasons ended by injury, Knights head coach Ryan Aldridge drafted in three more teenagers for their NIHL National debuts.

Jake Wigginton has played all year for Leeds Knights 2, while Josh Hartley has been in North America all season. The third call-up was Even Bradon, brother of Knights’ centre Finn and who only made his senior debut for Knights 2 last month.

After seeing off the initial threat from the Lightning, the Knights settled only to find themselves 2-0 down when Sean Norris’ 15th-minute opener was added to by former Knights forward Mac Howlett at 18.35.

But nothing could prepare those in the building and others watching the live stream for what came next.

First, Owen Sobchak halved the deficit at 24.42 before, with just 46 more seconds having passed, captain Kieran Brown hauled the visitors level.

After seeing off a Lightning power play brought about by a cross-checking call on Liam Peyton, the Knights stunned their hosts when the Canadian forward fired them in front at 32.50.

The hosts had barely recovered when they found themselves two adrift, Bow Neely beating Hedley after good work by Sobchak and Bradon.

Just over a minute later, the Knights went 5-2 ahead when Bradon – the older – piled on the agony for Lewis Christie’s team.

As expected there was a Lightning pushback in the third, but it was all too little, too late for the hosts.

Jordan Cownie scored at 48.00 before a power play helped make it a one-goal game when Toms Rutkis fired home at 51.50.

But once Endicott restored the two-goal advantage, the game was gone, Hunt’s late strike almost irrelevant as Leeds became the third team to qualify for Coventry with Telford and Hull facing off against each other on Sunday night to determine who will join them along with Sheffield Steeldogs and Swindon Wildcats from Group A.