IT was a tough weekend for Leeds Knights when, for the second time this season, they lost back-to-back games to emerge from the weekend with no points for their efforts. 


Results elsewhere leave the Knights in third place, although they have games in hand on both leaders Milton Keynes Lightning and Swindon Wildcats, who moved above them into second spot. 


After losing out narrowly in Saturday’s Yorkshire derby at home to Hull Seahawks, it looked like the Knights might bounce back immediately when they took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission at bottom club, Berkshire Bees.


Captain Kieran Brown broke the deadlock at 12.37 with his 28th goal of the season and it got even better when Matt Barron doubled the lead on the power play just over two minutes later. 


But by the time the next break came around, the Knights found themselves trailing. 


New signing Ralfs Circenis opened his account for the hosts when he made it a one-goal game at 27.56. 


The Knights were then left reeling just 34 seconds later when the Latvian doubled his tally by pulling his team level on the power play, only seven seconds into a five-minute major call on Jordan Buesa for boarding.


With 16 seconds of the period remaining, the Bees got ahead for the first time in the game when Marcel BaláΕΎ beat Sam Gospel.


The Knights pushed hard for a way back but Max Wright turned away all 16 shots on his net in the third period. 


With Gospel pulled, the Bees sealed their seventh league win of the campaign when Adam Rosbottom made it 4-2 with 54 seconds remaining. 


The night before, against the Seahawks, it proved an edgy encounter throughout.


It was the Knights who got on the board first in the opening 20 minutes, though, when Noah McMullin’s shot on net was redirected from in front by Matt Barron to make it 1-0 with 8.16 on the clock.


It wasn’t long before the Seahawks were level, however, a slashing call on Bailey Perre giving the visitors their first power play of the night, one they took advantage of when Johnny Corneil scored at 10.23.


Neither side could find a way past two in-form goaltenders in the second period and, as a result, it was always likely that the next goal would be enough. 


And so it proved with former Knights’ defenceman Josh Hodgkinson striking the telling blow when he fired home from close range in the 48th minute.