Stefan Meyer fires overtime winner v Nottingham: Match Report

Saturday 28th December 2013 - Nottingham Panthers (13-8-2) v Sheffield Steelers (14-10-2) @ National Ice Center. Face off: 7pm

An overtime winner by forward Stefan Meyer gave Sheffield the win in Nottingham and secured a four point Christmas over arch rivals the Nottingham Panthers while Nottingham had to settle for just one point over the two games.

Doyle in goal for the Steelers, Conway in goal for the Panthers, Michael Hicks as ref! Lacroix was out warming up but once again didn't feature in the game. The 1st period started pretty scrappy with both teams icing the puck but the first real scoring chance fell to Robert Dowd who got a shot away on the backhand and Conway would spit up a rebound and Goertzen wasn't able to get a stick on the puck. Panthers would create an early opening for themselves with Farmer being the provider but nothing would come of it. Poor decision making from Conway would let in Jonathan Phillips to steal the puck but wasn't able to get a shot away as the Nottingham defence closed him down. Sheffield would be the first to lay down a big bit as Danny Meyers went in physical, Doyle would be called upon to catch a shot of the blue line and then made a fantastic save when it seemed a certain goal off Matt Ryan. The first penalty of the game went to Nottingham as Matt Francis was sent to the bin for two minutes for hooking but it would on last 34 seconds as Steven Goertzen was called for the exact same thing on 6:55 which would mean a bit of 4 on 4 hockey, Panthers would go close twice before going on a brief power play and as the penalty to Goertzen ran out Conway would have to catch a shot of Tim Spencer. On 10:31 captain Goertzen would make a darting break down the right to play the puck in front of goal for Robert Sirianni to open the scoring for the visitors, it could have very easily been 2-0 as Spencer passed to Dowd who just shot wide on Conway's goal but Sheffield wouldn't be ahead long when on 11:53 Joe Jensen shot at Doyle but he would spit up a rebound for Jonathan Boxill to back hand the puck past Doyle to level the score. Robert Lachowicz would try his luck from distance but Frank Doyle would cover it up before a big hit was laid on Sirianni by Salters. A magnificent piece of skill by Dowd after being played by Goertzen somehow saw Conway fantastically save the Great Britain's forwards back hand. Then Steelers would be going on the penalty kill when Robert Dowd went for elbows after a big hit on Boxill which looked a little high and knocked the helmet off the Panthers player, with 12 second left in the resulting power play Matt Francis would find himself in the box again for tripping but the 1st period would end all square at 1-1.

The 2nd got underway with Sheffield still on the power play as Matt Francis was still in the box for tripping, Sirianni would see his shot padded wide by Conway and back to full strength Nottingham found themselves on 3 on 1 breakaway and would round the net and Francis would receive the puck near the blue line and force a fantastic catching save out of Frank Doyle, Sheffield would very soon find themselves back on the power play as Petr Kalus was sent for boarding, Goertzen and Spencer would lay down some hits before Sheffield were lucky to still be on the power play as Dustin Kohn got away with checking from behind on the walls but as that penalty was killed Neil Conway would clear the puck over the glass and Hicks would called a delay of the game penalty against Conway but Steelers wouldn't be able to find a way through other than straight off a later face off Sirianni would see a shot saved by Conway before Jonathan Weaver would fire a slap shot for Doyle to comfortably save. Another mistake next of Neil Conway with a turnover allowed for Steelers to shoot into an empty net but the shot was fantastically blocked and then straight up the other end Doyle had to deny a certain scoring chance by Farmer. It seemed with the game being on premier sports Hicks was letting a lot go and soon ignored an obvious tripping call on Phil Hill but Sheffield wouldn't let that bother them as on 36:56 alternate captain Jonathan Phillips would pick up a loose puck in front of Neil Conway's goal and calmly slotted it past the Panthers goaltender to give the visitors their second lead of the game, Dowd and DiCasmirro were credited with the assists on Sheffield's second goal of the game. Panthers would get another power play attempt at 38:34 as Jeff Legue received two minutes for hooking and Nottingham would be very do dominate in the power play but wouldn't be able to find a way through with the Nottingham shots either being saved by Doyle or blocked by Sheffield's penalty kill and Sheffield would take a 2-1 lead into the second interval.

Panthers started the third period with 34 seconds remaining on their power play and there would be a bit of early handbags as Doyle would cover up a Nottingham shot before pushing and shoving involving Robert Farmer and Dustin Kohn that was followed by an attacking move by the Steelers would Robert Dowd would send the puck towards goal but Matt Francis almost tipped it past his own keeper but Conway would keep hold of the puck for a face off. There was then a big goal line scramble where it ended up with Doyle being on his back and the puck eventually going in but Hicks would wave it off saying no goal as he called goalkeeper interference. Nottingham were skating hard to find an equaliser and it would be Jonathan Weaver to try his luck next but his wrist shot would be saved by Doyle, some good defensive work from the Steelers had Tim Spencer poking the puck away and Joe Jensen went flying into Doyle a collision in my opinion that was accidental and couldn't be avoided but Hicks deemed it to be goalkeeper interference and put Jensen in the book but from the resulting face off Nottingham would break down the left with Matt Francis with help from Robert Lachowicz and Brandon Benedict but would go it alone and fine a short handed goal under the shoulder of Frank Doyle to level the game at 2-2 at 48:38, There wouldn't be any major scoring chances in the remainder of the third with the best opportunities falling to Legue who had his shot saved followed by Conway always saving the rebound shot of Sirianni from right in front of goal and the last chance of regulation would fall to Gord Baldwin but his blue line shot would just be tipped wide. So it would be five minute of overtime as the game was level at 2-2 at the end of regulation time.

With overtime underway it would be the Nottingham. Panthers that would dominate the early stage of the five minute session with Doyle have to pad away several shots but with 2:12 gone in the period and the game clock on 62:12 Steelers would have puck possession in Nottingham's zone and a puck sent in by Robert Dowd would find itself bobbling around the crease for Stefan Meyer to poke the puck through the legs of Neil Conway to score the game winning goal for the Sheffield Steelers.

FINAL SCORE: Nottingham Panthers 2-3 Sheffield Steelers (OT)

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Nottingham - 1-0-1-0-[10]-{0/3}-29

Sheffield      - 1-1-0-1-[6]-{0/5}-32

Nottingham Man of the Match: #6 Joe Jensen
Sheffield Man of the Match: #75 Robert Dowd

It was a big victory for Sheffield and one that confirmed a four point Christmas and over the last two games the Sheffield players have played with a point to prove and so much passion and even now there are unhappy fans but you can't please everyone. Sheffield improve to 15-10-2 and sit in 3rd in the league table.

The result was met with good reaction by the players and staff saying:

Robert Sirianni (@71siri71) wrote:

Biggest weekend of the year!!!!!! I love these guys, feels good #keepthetrainrollin #choochoo

Stefan Meyers (@Myzy7) wrote:

Now we go!

Marc LeFebvre (@Favor11inc) wrote:

Massive OT win tonight. Tremendous 4 points this week. Much needed @steelershockey #proudsteeler

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Keep Supporting the boys!!

Have A Happy New Year
Tom
@TomWalkeden