Welcome to our match report from the latest Sheffield Steelers game.
Steelers headed into their final home regular season game against with ambitions of a decent finish in their sights. Should they win, as expected, and results go their way then Steelers would go into the final day in third place. Team news saw the return of John Armstrong after a lengthy injury absence, his first appearance since the 27th of December. His addition allowed Steelers to ice a full complement of imports with Mathieu Roy absent on compassionate leave, and Andreas Jämtin still in Sweden following the birth of his daughter. Brad Day was given the start in goal as Ervins Mustukovs was rested ahead of a huge game in Manchester on the Sunday. As for the Capitals, who have had another season from hell it has to be said, could only ice 10 imports and 16 outskaters with the highly-rated Jordan McLaughlin again filling in between the pipes for the injured Tyler Beskorowany who impressed a few of us in the teams previous encounter here on Valentine's Day.
Needing a quick start to settle down, something that didn't happen in the Valentine's Day game, Steelers were two goals to the good before a minute had ticked over on the game clock. The game opener came after 44 seconds, Robert Dowd firing the puck across McLaughlin and into the corner from low in the left circle following a setup by Levi Nelson and Andreas Valdix predictably. It was Robert's 22nd of the season and fourth in his last three games. In the next shift, from the face off, Steelers doubled the lead: Eric Neiley given room on the left wing to pick a spot for his 7th of the season since joining the club in January. We then had a bit of gap, which allowed Capitals to create a few opportunities of their own, before the third goal arrived at 7:12. This time it was Ben O'Connor with a rocket of a slapshot that zoomed into McLaughlin's net from out on the left wing, and for a 18th goal of the season.
Then two quick fire goals in 41 seconds ensured Steelers would go nap at 9:31. At 8:50 it became 4-0 when Valdix got a redirect onto a Scott Aarssen for the Swede's 15th goal of the season and then number five hit the net at 9:31, Neiley with his second of the contest and 8th of the season after good work from linemates Jonas Westerling and Colton Fretter and that's how the opening period ended despite the Capitals outshooting the Steelers by one shot, 15 to 14. A sixth Steelers goal arrived at 22:46, some superb work by the returning Armstrong around the back of McLaughlin's goal before he teed up the arriving Miika Franssila who tucked home his 5th Steelers goal of the campaign. However there was to be no shutout for Day as Capitals got their first marker 26 seconds after Franssila's goal, Sergei Banashkov with a close range finish. It became 6-2 at 26:24, Banashkov this time turning provider for Denis Trakhanov to fire a well taken effort into the net. It was good reward for the battling Capitals.
However those two goals for the visitors seemed to get the Steelers back in the mood for more goals and they added a seventh on the night; skipper Jonathan Phillips and Liam Kirk, who was again being watched by NHL scouts, combining for Cole Shudra to beat McLaughlin for his first home goal but 4th of the season: all of which have come against the same opposition. It was extended to 8-1 on 31:51, O'Connor joining Neiley on two goals for the night with a blueline effort that found a way through to light the lamp, goal number 19 for Benny this season. There was still time for a ninth before the second period expired and it produced a hat-trick goal for Neiley. Fretter and O'Connor with the creation work and Neiley applying the finish for his 9th goal this season. Could the Steelers add more? The answer came with two further goals midway through the early stages of the final period to finish the scoring for the evening. At 46:32, Dowd joined fellow GB internationalist O'Connor on two goals for the night and collecting his 23rd of the season: Neiley getting an assist for his fourth point of the game. Then 28 seconds later, a scramble in front of McLaughlin saw Nelson get to a loose puck and net his 20th of the season.
No further goals followed after that, and it ended up a comprehensive win in the Steelers last home game of the regular season against a plucky Capitals who gave it their all in a game that nobody really gave them much hope in. With Belfast crashing to a 8-1 loss in Cardiff and Fife slipping to a surprising 5-2 loss at 11th placed Milton Keynes, Paul Thompson's climbed two places to third and if they can pick up a win in Manchester on Sunday then they will face the 6th ranked side which could be anyone from Belfast, Fife or Guildford as it stands. But the Storm won't be an easy finish.
Time for the statistics:
Goals: Steelers 11 Capitals 2
Steelers Scoring: Neiley 3+1, Dowd 2+1, O'Connor 2+1, Valdix 1+1, Nelson 1+1, J.Phillips 0+2, Matheson 0+2, Fretter 0+2, Armstrong 0+2, Westerling 0+2, Franssila 1+0, Shudra 1+0, Aarssen 0+1, Kirk 0+1, Wallace 0+1, Fitzgerald 0+1, Marquardt 0+1.
Capitals Scoring: Banashkov 1+1, Trakhanov 1+0, Lawrence 0+1, Boyd 0+1.
Shots On Goal: Steelers 42 Capitals 31
Powerplay: Capitals 0 from 2 (0%)
Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 6 Capitals 2
Steelers Goaltender Stats: Day 29 Saves (101), GAA: 2.00 (2.60), Save Percentage: 93.50% (91.80%).
Man of the Match: Eric Neiley (Steelers), Jordan McLaughlin (Capitals)
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