Sheffield Steeldogs pounce for derby points to open up gap on Leeds Knights

The 6-4 defeat in front of a near-sellout 2,000-plus crowd - coming after Boxing Day’s impressive 6-1 derby win at Hull Seahawks - left the Knights playing catch-up in what is currently a three-way 2025-26 title race.

The clinical Steeldogs, who benefitted from scoring three unanswered goals in the second period at Elland Road, moved five points clear of the third-placed Knights, who have played one game less and visit Ice Sheffield on New Year’s Eve.

A 1-0 overtime loss for leaders Swindon also saw Slava Koulikov’s team close the gap on their Wiltshire rivals to one point - although they have played two games more - ahead of Sunday’s round of games which saw the Steeldogs host bottom club Solway Sharks.

“I thought the first period was our best period of the season,” said Aldridge. “Everybody was going - I thought everybody was in Hull, too - and I think we’ve struggled with that this year,

“But then there were a few soft plays and it changed our full mindset and it was a different game after that.”

“It was definitely two points lost, I don’t think they won those points, we lost them.”

The first period which delighted Aldridge saw his team deservedly go in at the break 1-0 ahead after Balint Pakozdi reacted quickest to a loose puck in front at 19.10.

But the Steeldogs quickly got themselves level through a piledriver from former Knights’ forward Michael Danecko, who made the most of a mid-ice errant pass from Matt Bissonnette before blasting into the top left-hand corner of Sam Gospel’s net.

Less than four minutes later the Steeldogs were ahead when Walker Sommer charged down centre ice unchecked to fire high past Gospel’s right.

Just after the halfway mark, Sam Dunn was dispossessed on the boards by Sommer who quickly squared to Bair Gendunov at the back post from where he had a simple conversion.

As the Steeldogs did in the second, the Knights struck early in the third period to make it a one-goal game, Innes Gallacher working space for himself before beating Brady Parker from a tight angle at 40.22.

A breakaway saw Sommer tee up Liam Steele to restore the two-goal cushion for the visitors at 48.13 but the Knights hit back within two minutes when Liam Peyton - scorer of two goals in Hull the day before - benefitted from a lucky bounce off the boards behind the Steeldogs’ goal to squeeze the puck under Parker.

A holding call on Sam Dunn soon after offered the Steeldogs a power play opportunity which they were quick to capitalise on, Jonathan Phillips reacting quickest to a rebound in front before finding Gendunov to his left who fired into the gaping net.

As the Bulldogs pushed for another equaliser, Gospel was pulled, allowing Jonathan Kirk to fire home after winning a foot race to a puck which cannoned off the back boards.

Gallagher made it 6-4 with eight seconds later but the result was already known.