By Frankie Notaro
After a weekend of intense battles against the Peterborough Phantoms and securing 3 points towards their league campaign, the Bristol Honda Pitbulls now prepare to face the Leeds Knights in a doubleheader weekend. Now let’s talk hockey!
Team Recap
The Leeds Knights are going into this weekend after a weekend they would be keen to move on from as they were unable to secure points after they faced the Hull Seahawks and the Berkshire Bees. Leeds are currently occupying 3rd place within the league standings as they have been able to collect 47 points in 31 games from 23 wins and 8 loses. Leeds will be desperate to put an end to their losing streaks and get back to winning ways as they push for the league title.
Ones to Watch
From previous interactions against the Knights it is apparent that Matthew Barron continues to play a big role for the Knights in the games against the Pitbulls. He has been able to prove this through the 2 fixtures that have already taken place where he was able to secure 3 goals against the Pitbulls so far this season and will be someone that the Pitbulls’ defence will need to contain as he has managed to secure 11 power play goals so far this season.
Someone who will be able to match that style of game play for the Pitbulls will be Rhys Smetham who has shown his value in recent weeks as just last week he managed to secure his first NIHL National hatrick against the Peterborough Phantoms. Rhys has been able to prove that he can take advantage of situations where teams may make small mistakes but he uses this to his advantage to create plays for his team.
One more person to keep a close eye on will be Mac Howlett during this doubleheader as he continuously shows his value to his team by driving the puck into the offensive zone for the Knights and creating plays that majority of the time gives Leeds the advantage in games.
Special Teams
Going into this weekend the Pitbulls will be up against extremely well drilled special teams in these two games against the Knights but this is nothing that will stop Bristol from making the most of the opportunities that are available to them.
The Leeds power play unit is 30.51% effective and Matthew Barron and Finley Bradon have been the most influential players during this aspect of the game but Finley is away with the GB U20s so this will leave a gap in their power play unit. This would be the perfect opportunity to get through the cracks in the power play unit and make the most of their opportunities as Ewan Hill has proven he has a powerful shot which could be valuable during Saturday’s game and Sunday’s as Bayley Harewood is forced to sit 1 more game out due to suspension.
In terms of the Knights penalty kill unit, they have an insanely tight defensive core when they find themselves short-handed during games that make it extremely hard to get past. Their penalty kill unit stands at 81.36% effective going into this weekend, but the Pitbulls will need to be conscious of Kieran Brown when the Knights are short-handed as he has been able to score 2 short-handed goals for Leeds so far but this will be something the Pitbulls can balance out with Bayley Harewood when he returns as Bayley has secured 5 short-handed goals in the games he has completed.
Looking to enhance your match night experience? Don’t forget to make your way to our merch stand during Saturday’s game where you can get your hands on everything Pitbulls! Even a foam hand!
You also have the opportunity to take part in our match night competitions where you have a chance to win a cash prize in our 50/50 draw as well as a jersey on the back of one of the Pitbulls! What more could you want!? We look forward to welcoming you all to the Pound!
