Semi Final for Steelers as Stars sent packing

Welcome to our main match report from last night's Challenge Cup game against the Dundee Stars.

On a rare Tuesday night, the Steelers played their quarter-final second leg against the Dundee Stars. Steelers had taken a massive step towards clinching a semi-final berth with a 7-2 win in Tayside last week, but were looking to pick themselves up after a zero point weekend in the league. The team news saw Steelers not ice either Levi Nelson nor Kieran Brown. Cole Shudra started off in defence and defenceman Mark Matheson iced as a centre. Ervins Mustukovs started off the game in between the pipes. Omar Pacha's side were without Cameron McGiffin and Taylor Dickin who both left the club on Monday, as well as former Steeler Chris Lawrence and Swede Johan Andersson.

Steelers controlled the game from start to finish but some stubborn resistance from the Stars meant the deadlock remained unbroken until two and half minutes before the end of the second period; but what a goal it was though. Some absolutely ridiculous skill from new Finnish defenceman Miika Franssila saw him scythe his way through the Stars defence like a knife through hot butter; and then leave Travis Fullerton floundering before tucking the puck into the empty net for his first ever Steelers goal. A goal of the season candidate already. Prior to that we had a fight, Robert Dowd went through with a check that Anthony Mastrodicasa took exception to. Someone should have told Mastrodicasa that Dowd is not to be messed with, the former's team mate Riley Stadel knows this, and in the resultant scrap Dowdy again took charge.

The second goal came with just 14 seconds of the same second period left, Matt Marquardt finishing off a great move created by Dowd and Liam Kirk to score his 12th of the season. That made it 9-2 on aggregate and you couldn't see any further way back into the tie for the visitors. The final period saw Steelers give Mustukovs the rest of the night off as Brad Day was given some much welcomed ice time. It became 3-0 on the night just 73 seconds into the final twenty, Marquardt scoring his second of the game and 13th of the season on a breakaway after Andreas Jämtin had carved open the Stars defence. At 44:29 the lead was extended further when a wrister from Zack Fitzgerald (still playing with a face guard) found it's way home but it was one that Fullerton would be embarrassed to see over and over again. It was Fitzy's first of the season.

That Fitzgerald goal was also to spell the end of Fullerton's night as he made way for Craig Holland who would ice for the remaining 15 and a half minutes. Steelers obviously sensed more goals were to come and added their fifth at 47:18. Mastrodicasa was serving a slashing minor and just 11 seconds into that powerplay, Ben O'Connor put one on goal and Mathieu Roy in his usual position got the decisive tip to defeat Holland. It was the King's 10th of the season. A sixth came before 50 minutes play, a left shot from left circle by O'Connor eluded Holland and found its way in. Benny's seventh of the season. As the game petered out, we had a second fight of the night - Pacha rubbing up Colton Fretter the wrong way and getting a taste of his own medicine. Stars did however score the final goal of the tie, just like they did with the first, Justin Fox with a nice finish with 76 seconds left in the game to ruin the double shutout.

So Steelers advance 13-2 on aggregate, and now await the winners of the Cardiff-Guildford quarter final.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Steelers 6 Stars 1 

Steelers Scoring: Westerling 0+3, Marquardt 2+0, Roy 1+1, O'Connor 1+1, Matheson 0+2, Franssila 1+0, Fitzgerald 1+0, Aarssen 0+1, Jämtin 0+1, Kirk 0+1, Dowd 0+1.
Stars Scoring: Fox 1+0, Mimar 0+1, Lévesque 0+1.

Shots On Goal:  Steelers 39 Stars 15

Powerplay: Steelers 1 from 4 (25% conversion), Stars 0 from 5 (0% conversion)

Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 22 Stars 40

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Mustukovs 13 Saves (186), GAA: 0.00 (2.25), Save Percentage: 100.00% (92.50%). Day 1 Save (33), GAA: 3.00 (2.18), Save Percentage: 50.00% (91.70%)

Man of the Match: Matt Marquardt (Steelers), Justin Fox (Stars)

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