Leeds Knights - NIHL National Champions: Ryan Aldridge interview - video Dailymotion

Interview with Leeds Knights' head coach Ryan Aldridge after his team won the NIHL National regular season league title for the third year running

Transcript

00:00I don't know, Phil. I think this weekend was obviously huge. You know, a road game in Romford

00:18is tough. Staying over doesn't really suit us, I think, but staying over, trying to get

00:24that preparation right to go into Milton Keynes was tough. Obviously getting those two results

00:30and then coming here and having to get it over the line, yeah, it's been a long, hard

00:35week and weekend. Yeah, it feels pretty magical to get it over the line. And when you talk

00:41about the season as a whole, I think it's been a grind. It's been hard this year, so

00:46it's special to get it over the line.

00:48You've said on a number of occasions how phenomenal this group is at times and various times.

00:52I know you've been frustrated at times as well, haven't you? Part and parcel of obviously

00:56being a coach, I imagine. But what is it that makes this group special for you? You've relatively,

01:01more or less, kept the same sort of line-up from last year, didn't you, apart from a couple

01:04of additions?

01:05Yeah. I think it's just the relentlessness. We were out of the way to go again last night.

01:11Third period we had to be selfless. Everybody was selfless last night. Everybody was blocking

01:15shots, everyone was doing the little things, playing defensive. And we knew the defensive

01:20side of the game was going to win us it. And everybody bought it, every single guy. So

01:26we needed Gozzi to be big in the first. And I think it's just, yeah, they're young, they're

01:32relentless. They put up with me. They're a tight group and it's just learning, I guess.

01:39They're on a learning curve and growing up.