It couldn’t be tighter at the top of the Planet Ice NIHL National Division, with a four-point weekend helping Leeds Knights draw level with league leaders MK Lightning.
A surprise 5-1 home defeat to Peterborough Phantoms on derby day saw Milton Keynes fail to take maximum points in Gameweek 26, despite bouncing back with an overtime victory at Romford Raiders the following night.
Lightning’s Saturday slip-up meant that Leeds had the opportunity to end the weekend alongside them on 77 points, and the Knights made no mistake, navigating their way to a 7-4 home victory against Hull Seahawks then a 3-0 win at Telford Tigers on Sunday.
There remain two playoffs spots up for grabs after Romford missed the chance to mathematically confirm their top-eight status.
The Raiders’ one-point return and Telford’s two mean that Solway Sharks can still finish in the playoffs, although their task remains an uphill one after the Dumfries-based outfit fell to back-to-back defeats against Swindon Wildcats and Hull, the second of which came after a penalty shootout defeat.
For the third-placed Wildcats, Saturday’s victory in Solway completed a perfect weekend which started with a 3-0 triumph against Berkshire Bees on home ice the night before.
Berkshire did manage to return to winning ways on Sunday against Bristol Pitbulls, who remain at the foot of the table despite beating Romford 9-5 on Saturday.
Results – NIHL National Division
Fri 7th Mar Swindon Wildcats 3-0 Berkshire Bees L
Sat 8th Mar Bristol Pitbulls 9-5 Romford Raiders L
Sat 8th Mar Leeds Knights 7-4 Hull Seahawks L
Sat 8th Mar Milton Keynes Lightning 1-5 Peterborough Phantoms L
Sat 8th Mar Sheffield Steeldogs 4-7 Telford Tigers L
Sat 8th Mar Solway Sharks 2-4 Swindon Wildcats L
Sun 9th Mar Berkshire Bees 5-3 Bristol Pitbulls L
Sun 9th Mar Hull Seahawks 6-5 (SO) Solway Sharks L
Sun 9th Mar Peterborough Phantoms 6-4 Sheffield Steeldogs L
Sun 9th Mar Romford Raiders 3-4 (OT) Milton Keynes Lightning L
Sun 9th Mar Telford Tigers 0-3 Leeds Knights L
Stay updated on all the latest fixtures and results from across the NIHL regional divisions, WNIHL and junior leagues.
Photo credit: Alistair How
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