Mclean Says Knights Are Looking To Build On Romford Win

The Leeds Knights return to home ice this Saturday as they welcome the Basingstoke Bison to The Castle, before heading back on the road to face the Sheffield Steeldogs on Sunday.

The Knights will be looking to build on last weekend's results, which saw them suffer an 8–2 defeat to Milton Keynes Lightning before responding with an impressive 5–1 victory away to Romford Raiders.

For Cullen McLean, the key was how the team responded.

“It was an unfortunate loss, 8–2, so that was a tough one, but I thought we regrouped and went to Romford, long trip, and got the two points, so that's all that matters,” said McLean.

The win in Romford provided an important response, particularly after the disappointment of the previous night's defeat.

“It's massive, just to get those two points,” he said. “Obviously we couldn't get the four, so I thought we battled hard. It was a good game, it was a lot of fun out there and the atmosphere was fun, so to get two points and then have a nice little five-hour bus ride home with the fellas was good.”

McLean believes the difference between the two performances came down to the Knights returning to the basics and executing the details more effectively.

“I thought we just played our game, we played simple, the little details,” he explained. “There were a lot of turnovers in the first game and then I thought we were kind of out-battled against Milton Keynes.

“Against Romford, we battled in front of the net, kept pucks out and then just capitalised on our chances.”

McLean was also central to the victory, scoring three of Leeds' goals to complete his first hat-trick for the Knights.

“It felt good,” he admitted. “That was my first hat-trick in a long time, since minor hockey back home, so it felt good to definitely get that for the first time in a while.”

The forward also feels his confidence is continuing to grow as he settles into his new surroundings.

“Yeah, I feel good around the group,” he said. “Everyone's good and I feel more comfortable with each individual in the room and, yeah, just confidence is growing as you get rewarded with some points and some wins.”

Attention now turns to Saturday's home meeting with Basingstoke, with McLean hoping the Knights can carry their momentum from Romford into another big night in front of the home supporters.

“It's huge, the Castle is bumping every night, so hopefully we can keep the Romford two points rolling into Saturday night.”

The Knights then face another challenge on Sunday when they travel to Sheffield.

“I feel like there's not much of a difference,” McLean said. “Obviously they're different teams. We've played Sheffield before, so we've been there and done that. We know what we're kind of to expect.

“But just go in there, play our game and just work hard and do the little details, and then I think we'll be able to have a successful result.”

“They’re a great team and we're going to have to go there and be on top of our game in order to get those two points.”

McLean has also enjoyed his time in Leeds since joining the Knights and has begun to explore the city away from the rink.

“It's been fun, we got in the city a little bit,” he said.

And while he's enjoying his new surroundings, McLean knows what would make the experience even better.

“I just hope that we can get on the tracks, win some games.”

The Knights begin their next weekend of hockey with Saturday's home clash against Basingstoke before Sunday's trip to Sheffield.