Leeds Knights II head coach Aaron Jordan has praised the attitude of his side after they returned to winning ways against Telford.
It was a 12-goal thriller at The Castle, as 16-year-old Evan Bradon claimed his first senior hat-trick and Josh Hartley continued his great start to the campaign with two more goals.
“The way those two are contributing is very impressive. Both of them are in their first full season of senior hockey, though they experienced a few games at the end of last season.
Jordan added, “We know they can skate well, but both of them showed some composure around the net. The powerplay goal Evan scored would not have looked out of place in any league in the world. Josh’s calmness to find the 5-hole when on the breakaway was outstanding and it shows his growth as a player.”
Frank O’Sullivan and Lawrence Dean added goals in the final period to confirm a 7-5 victory, the team's fourth of the season to date.
A quarter of the way into the season LK2 are sixth in the table and with two more home games this coming weekend, Jordan wants his players to find some consistency.
“Two games and two big challenges, Saturday sees us take on Deeside at home. We know we made too many mistakes in our previous meeting, and they made us pay for them.
“That’s part of the game, but we’ve looked at where we need to be better, and now it’s about putting that work into practice. We’ll be looking to put things right and make sure we give ourselves the best chance to get the result we want.”
Sunday night at 7pm Hull Jets return, in a repeat of the season opener and Jordan is expecting another close game.
“The series is currently tied at 1-1. It’s another important game, hopefully we can use that home advantage to push ourselves ahead in the series.”
“As a group, we’re starting to find more consistency in our performances, which is pleasing to see. However, we’re not a team that wants to stand still. We want to keep elevating our game, raising our standards, and finding ways to get better every week.
“This weekend will test us, but it’s exactly the kind of challenge we want. Two games, two opportunities to compete, and a chance to show the progress we’re making as a group.”
