IT proved a tough opening weekend as Leeds Knights began their NIHL National title defence with two defeats.
Opening night at The Castle went the way of the impressive Telford Tigers - who went on to beat Milton Keynes Lightning the following evening - coming from behind four times before running out 7-4 winners.
Then, on Sunday, a tough first period saw the Knights 4-1 down at Peterborough Phantoms going into the middle period and, despite a stirring fightback and out-shooting the hosts 2-to-1, we came out on the wrong end of a 4-3 scoreline.
It means we move onto next weekend looking for our first points of the season and back-to-back games against Bristol Pitbulls - the home clash being at The Castle on Sunday (5.15pm).
Against Telford, the Knights got their noses in front four times throughout the night, but struggled to hold on to their lead for any significant length of time on each occasion.
Liam Peyton bagged his first competitive goal of the season with 18.22 on the clock, only to see Telford quickly pull level through Louie Newell. It was a pattern that continued all night.
Kieran Brown got on the board in the 33rd minute but his effort was cancelled out within 37 seconds by James Smith.
Then, Mac Howlett struck at 38.01 but home hopes of taking a lead into the second intermission vanished when former Knights forward Tate Shudra equalised at 39.59.
Latvian forward Arturs Mickevics opened his account 68 seconds into the third, giving the Knights a 4-3 lead they were able to hold on to for eight minutes or so.
But once Joseph Aston pulled the visitors level again at 49.13, there was only one winner - young British forward Brynley Capps scoring a fine individual goal four minutes later before Shudra and Scott McKenzie ensured two points for the Tigers.
On Sunday, the Knights paid for a poor first period, trailing 3-0 inside 15 minutes to goals from Luke Ferrara, Dillon Lawrence and Cameron Hough.
Matt Staudacher fired home his first goal as a Knight at 16.29 but, like the night before, the Knights quickly conceded again, Lawrence’s power play strike restoring the home team’s three-goal cushion less than a minute later.
The Knights improved across the last 40 minutes and dragged themselves back to within one goal just after the halfway mark, Staudacher doubling his tally at 30.18 before Fin Bradon added a shorthanded marker just over two minutes later.
But despite out-shooting the hosts, that was as close as the Knights were able to get.
