LEEDS KNIGHTS returned to four-point weekend ways as they moved back up to second in the NIHL National standings following two convincing wins over Bristol Pitbulls. 


The Knights headed home in good spirits on Saturday following their 7-0 road triumph and came close to a second shutout of the weekend before settling for a 6-1 win on home ice the following night. 


Combined with results elsewhere - defeats for the top two of Milton Keynes Lightning and Swindon Wildcats - it leaves them three points behind Milton Keynes - with two games in hand - and a point above Swindon, who have also played two games more. 


Milton Keynes beat Hull Seahawks on Saturday 4-3 in overtime but, like the Knights last weekend, came up short at bottom club Berkshire Bees, who won 4-2 against Tim Wallace’s team. 


Swindon edged out visitors Sheffield Steeldogs 4-3 on Saturday but surrendered a 3-1 lead at Hull to lose out 4-3. 


With Harrison Walker getting the start in net, the Knights didn’t take long to break the deadlock in front of their own fans on Sunday, captain Kieran Brown providing a sumptuous reverse pass from behind the net to Jordan Buesa who fired past 16-year-old netminder Harry Thomas - making his NIHL National debut - with exactly three minutes on the clock.


Just over a minute later, Buesa’s effort from just inside the blue line was parried by Thomas, with the puck falling to Matt Haywood for a simple tap-in to make it 2-0. 


Before the first break, Brown robbed the puck from Rhys Smetham in the Knights zone and drove down the left before beating Thomas with a pinpoint finish from the left circle at 16.21 for a short-handed goal. 


Bayley Harewood offered hope to the visitors just after the halfway mark when he was allowed to drive down centre ice and beat Walker with a smart finish.


But the Knights were quick to restore their three-goal lead when Mac Howlett was gifted possession on the edge of the Pitbulls zone before going producing a clinical finish to make it 4-1 at 34.39. 


Less than two minutes had passed before the Knights extended their lead, Brown winning the race to the puck behind the Bristol net before teeing up Ethan Hehir for a close-range finish. 


Just over four minutes into the third, Brown was able to pick his spot when firing through traffic to complete an impressive 25th league win of the season for the Knights. 


On Saturday, less than two minutes had passed in Bristol before the Knights broke the deadlock, defenceman Noah McMullin before firing past goalie Tommy Nappier.


The Pitbulls barely had time to recover before they found themselves 2-0 down through a sixth-minute Oli Endicott strike. 


Brown got in on the act with a power play marker at 26.50, with another goal on the man advantage coming from McMullin with just 27 seconds of the middle period remaining. 


Bristol ran into penalty trouble and again paid the price when Matt Barron struck at 44.41. Howlett added a sixth just over two minutes later and wrapped up a 7-0 victory by doubling his tally at 54.12.