LEEDS KNIGHTS shared the spoils in their weekend double-header against Peterborough Phantoms - dropping a place to second in the NIHL National standings.
With 16 games to go, they remain firmly in the hint for a third straight league crown, sitting one point below leaders Milton Keynes Lightning, who replaced them at the top of the table after wins over Romford and Bristol.
Swindon Wildcats - who visit The Castle this Sunday - sit third, a point behind the Knights.
Captain Kieran Brown was the hero in the 6-4 win over Peterborough on Sunday night on home ice, enjoying a five-point night, including a hat-trick, which took his goal-scoring tally for the season to 34.
With Harrison Walker standing in for the injured Sam Gospel in bet, Matt Bissonnette broke the deadlock with his first goal in 10 games with just 79 seconds gone, Brown doubling the lead with a shorthanded strike on a breakaway at 13.09.
Luke Ferra responded for the visitors at 17.49 but the two-goal lead was restored before the first break when Matt Barron pounced on a loose puck in front of the net.
Just after the halfway mark, Finley Bradon scored on the spin from in front to make it 4-1 before Brown increased the Phantoms’ pain when finishing off a sweet end-to-end move at 32.25.
Good work from Ethan Hehir then set up Brown to blast home his hat-trick marker from the top of the right circle in the 35th minute.
It looked like that was how it would remain until a late five-minute slashing call on Mac Howlett handed the visitors a power play opportunity.
It was one they seized with both hands, scoring through Nathan Salem, Austin Mitchell-King and Cameron Hough in less than two minutes.
Although that produced some late nerves among the home fans, the Knights held firm to secure two vital points.
The following night in Peterborough, the Knights again took the lead, this time through Howlett at 15.55.
Salem restored parity on the power play in the 27th minute and although Peterborough went ahead through Mitchell-King at 31.31, the Knights were soon level when Bow Neely broke his duck for the season just 40 seconds later.
Ferrara edged the hosts again for a second time but, again, the Knights responded, Oli Endicott beating Hayden Lavigne at 35.40.
The next goal proved crucial though, Hough making it 4-3 to the Phantoms at 45.14 and, this time, the Knights couldn’t muster a response, slipping to their 10th defeat of the regular season.
