NIHL National Weekend Review - Leeds Knights, Sheffield Steeldogs and Hull Seahawks enjoy maximum return

For Leeds, their two wins over Bristol Pitbulls combined with a defeat for second-placed Milton Keynes Lightning at Raiders IHC, left them four points ahead of their closest rivals with a game in hand and 11 games left to play.

The Steeldogs followed up Friday night’s 6-3 win over Telford Tigers with a 4-1 win on the road at Swindon Wildcats, putting some welcome distance between themselves and their Wiltshire rivals who sit one place below them in the standings in fifth.

And there was cause for celebration on the East Coast too when Hull Seahawks enjoyed back-to-back wins over Bees IHC, enough to take them above their Slough-based rivals and off the bottom of the standings for the first time since before Christmas, while also keeping alive their faint hopes of making the play-offs, still a tall order.

Having bounced back in impressive style from the previous weekend’s two losses on home ice against Telford, the Steeldogs broke the deadlock in Swindon through Lee Haywood with 17.15 on the clock, although the hosts equalised just over six minutes later through player-coach Aaron Nell.

In such a tight game, the next goal was always going to be crucial and it wasn’t until just inside the final 10 minutes that it arrived.

And it was Charlie Thompson’s strike that caused celebrations on the away bench, their delight sealed when Jason Hewitt scored an empty-netter with just 65 seconds remaining as Swindon desperately chased the game.

Jordan Buesa then added insult to injury for Swindon with another empty-net strike with 42 seconds remaining.

On Saturday, it was not so plain sailing for the Knights who, with just under 14 minutes left, were only one goal to the good after former defenceman Ben Solder struck to make it 5-4.

But the Knights didn’t take long to double their advantage, the impressive Jake Witkowski sealing a deserved hat-trick at 46.33.

Just under five minutes later it was game over when Cole Shudra made it 7-4 with his second of the night and although Reece Kelly pulled one back at 53.56, the Knights held firm, Mac Howlett adding an empty-net marker with 53 seconds remaining.

It was Witkowski who struck twice inside the first five minutes to put the visitors ahead, the deficit halved by Ed Bradley with a power play strike at 6.31.

The second period was equally tight, Archie Hazeldine and Howlett getting on the board for Leeds, with Caly Robertson and Nik Coric beating Sam Gospel at the other end.

Shudra doubled the Knights’ lead at 43.25 and even though Bristol stayed in the fight until the end, they simply couldn’t match the leaders’ firepower.

On Sunday, back on home ice, there was little to choose between the two sides inside the first 20 minutes, the Knights 2-0 ahead at the first break thanks to goals from Matt Haywood and defenceman Dylan Hehir.

It looked like it would remain the same at the next intermission after a largely uneventful second period, until Leeds exploded into life with three goals in three minutes.

Adam Barnes’s marker from the bottom of the left circle at 37.34 was quickly followed by strikes from Zach Brooks and Witkowski.

An early goal from Shudra just 15 seconds into the third confirmed what everybody inside the building already knew before Perre’s miserable night was completed by bullets from Howlett and Witkowski.

Elliott Lewis ‘spoiled’ the party atmosphere when he poked home past replacement netminder Harrison Walker at 54.59.

An Emil Svec hat-trick led the Seahawks to victory in Slough on Saturday night, all his goals coming in the final period.

After Nathan Salem gave them a seventh-minute lead, the Seahawks were never behind in the game, Chris Wilcox striking at 16.24 to cancel out Stuart Mogg’s equaliser for the Bees.

Brendan Walkom levelled for a second time with the only goal of the middle period but then three goals in just over five minutes from Hull - Svec striking either side of Salem’s second goal at 46.45 - left the hosts with a mountain to climb.

It was one they looked like scaling when goals from Adam Rosbottom and Mogg made it a one-goal game, only for Svec’s third of the night to kill them off with 22 seconds remaining.

In Hull 24 hours later, Jordan Fisher struck at 14.55 to cancel our Dan Rose’s 11th-minute opener for the visitors, who went ahead again at 24.40 through Ryan Webb.

But Hull would finish the second period on top, thanks to strikes from young Owen Bruton and Svec.

Harvey Stead levelled just 38 seconds into the third before Hull took control, Andrej Themar making it 4-3 before Salem and then captain Sam Towner secured another welcome two points.