Playoff 1/4 1st Leg - Blaze v Steelers: (PO) Game Recap

Saturday 29th March 2013 - Coventry Blaze (0-0-0) v Sheffield Steelers (0-0-0) @ SkyDome Arena. Face off: 7pm

So its that time of the year, playoff hockey where form means nothing going into these games! Blaze v Steelers 1st leg with Sheffield looking for revenge after Coventry knocked them out 12 months prior!!

Mike Zacharias was in goal for the Blaze and Frank Doyle was in goal for the Steelers and unfortunately Mike Hicks was ref. The game started in natural playoff fashion very fast paced and despite the early penalty to Robert Dowd the Steelers wouldn't be able to kill the penalty when on 9:28 Russel Cowley would score a power play assisted by Ryan Ginand and Cale Tanaka which according to report the goal did come against the run of play. There would be further power play for either teams in the 1st but both goaltenders would stand up tall and keep them out. Towards the end of the 1st period though Sheffield forward Jeff Legue suffered a horrible injury after being cross checked in the back and as he hit the ice he was hit in the face by a slap shot fired by Chris Blight, Legue was assisted by both teams medical staff before going to Coventry hospital in which we later found out he had a broken jaw. Into the last minute of the 1st though and a man down on 19:22 the British bulldog Jason Hewitt came up with a massive goal to level the scores assisted by Chad Langlais and Chris Blight and the teams did go in at the end of the 1st level at 1-1.
End of the 1st Period: Coventry Blaze 1-1 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Blaze 9-25 Steelers

Second got underway with Sheffield looking the more likely to score next with them massively out shooting the Coventry Blaze. Blaze would get an early power play in the second as Drew Fata was called for tripping but Sheffield would successfully kill it with Frank Doyle making several great saves and then 25:14 Maxime Lacroix stepped up to the plate and score a goal that no one is entirely sure how it went in assisted by Dustin Kohn and Steven Goertzen and that put Sheffield in the driving seat at 2-1. At the half way stage of the game Coventry would be level on 30:51 after Gerome Giudice assisted by Kelsey Wilson and Michael Devin but that would only spur on the Steelers as captain Steven Goertzen would lead by example when 32:08 Goertzen drove at the net and scoring to make it 3-2 assisted by Jonathan Phillips and Chad Langlais and Coventry would have a power play opportunity but wouldn't be able to figure out a way past Frank Doyle and Sheffield would kill the power play successfully and take a 3-2 lead in the second break.
End of the 2nd Period: Coventry Blaze 2-3 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Blaze 10-8 Steelers

With Sheffield 3-2 up and 20 minutes left of the 1st leg Coventry was looking for a way past Frank Doyle and probably the best save of the game which saw Frank Doyle fantastically save of Henrich (one of them) but Blaze would be going up against a very good defence and goaltender, Coventry would gift Sheffield with a third power play as Giudice went for high sticking but Coventry would make it 3 for 3 on the penalty kill as Zacharias was keeping the Steelers out well on this period, Blaze would call a time out at 58:52 but wouldn't be able to level the game and will be travelling to Sheffield on Tuesday a goal down.
Shots on Goal: Blaze 10-13 Steelers

FINAL SCORE: Coventry Blaze 2-3 Sheffield Steelers

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Coventry - 1-1-0-0-[12]-{1/3}-29
Sheffield  - 1-2-0-0-[12]-{0/3}-46

Coventry Man of the Match: #17 Russel Cowley
Sheffield Man of the Match: #18 Steven Goertzen

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks
Referee:
Linesman: #38 Danny Beresford
Linesman: #23 Lee Young

Half way through the tie! Sheffield take a 1 goal lead back to the Motorpoint Arena which promises to be a crunch match on Tuesday. Full Match Report for Tuesday's game as well.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@MartynDRoyce
@FrozenSteelBlog

Check out the Frozen Steel Forum

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

CC Final - The Right Choice!!

Better late than never I suppose its about time the challenge cup final became a one game affair! as its been a two legged final for awhile now and basically since it became two legged Sheffield haven't won it! So on our behalf maybe its an even better thing.

But seriously though now if you look at any other sports with two legged round you will find that the final of that competition is nearly always just the one game because of the top of my head I cant think of any two legged finals in other sports at the moment.

So as of the 2014/2015 season the challenge cup format will continue as a the two group stages with Belfast, Braehead, Dundee, Edinburgh and Fife in Group A and Cardiff, Coventry, Hull, Nottingham and Sheffield in Group B that will see the top four from both groups qualify for the quarter finals which will be a two legged round with each team playing one game home and one game away and the winners of them games will go onto the semi-final which is also going to be a two legged round the same as the previous round and then for next season and I'm guessing for the seasons after as well the final is going to be held at Sheffield's Motorpoint Arena no matter who is in the final it will be played their and next season the final is set of Sunday 8th March with no other games being scheduled for that day so all focus can be on the final and in my opinion that's how it should be because not only will it allow the league to put money else where but it will also allow the league to make a big fuss about the cup final.

I was looking on social media earlier today (28th March the day of the announcement) and noticed several fans including Nottingham fans moaning about Sheffield hosting the final who thinks it should be permanently in Nottingham but at the end of the day they host the entire playoff finals weekend and I think just that there settles the argument itself!

So come on then guys what is every ones views? get in touch with me and I'll publish the best ones!!

(Email me at Tomwalkeden@Gmail.com)

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@MartynDRoyce
@FrozenSteelBlog

Check out the Frozen Steel Forum

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

So Its Nearly The End!!

Were near the end of March which can only mean one thing its nearly the end of the elite league hockey season a part of the season that lets be honest no one likes. It been a strange season not a season that everyone expected! Before the season started and with the appointment of Doug Christiansen in charge we all thought we'd be on for a championship and with the players recruited we probably should have had one but how was we supposed to know we'd have injury after injury and we was struggling to keep players fit from pretty much week one of the season. I remember from really earlier on in the season we had the likes of Chad Langlais, Danny Meyers and Dustin Kohn all out injured for weeks and having a team that usually consists of 6 D men suddenly became 3 and we was looking stretched. The season started brilliantly with a 4-2 win in Coventry on the opening night but we was soon brought back down to earth on the Sunday by them lot just down the road. Our team didn't really start well and people had a lot of doubts at the start of the season I mean take Frank Doyle for example he didn't look all that at the start of the season but if you look at him now he is the stand out man every single night and gives us the opportunity to win every single match night.

It took the team awhile to pick up a four point weekend as the players just didn't seem to making the scratch and that showed after just 6 weeks when Rylan Galiardi was released from his contract and I think that was down to the fact he just wasn't better than anything we already had or could replace him with it would however be interesting to find out what went on with Galiardi! Sheffield fans have seen several players come and go this season and it was a pleasure to see the likes of Ilpo Salmavirta put on the orange jersey despite only being in Sheffield for a month and we unfortunately wasn't treated to a goal we did see him show what he can do with the puck and that was countless assists on match nights and how good did he look with DiCasmirro and Sirianni? those three were dangerous on the same line and that's another player that has since left and that's Robert Sirianni who had a clause in his contract which eventually meant he left to return to Italy! but does anyone remember Sirianni's debut?? a hat trick against the Cardiff Devils and it was that night I think everyone saw what a player we had and during his time at the club he certainly put up his fair share of points.

So its been a mixed season with players coming and going which saw Sirianni leave and Steelers sign Chris Blight who had just been released from Cardiff at the end of January but the end of a small era was coming and it came after the 1st leg of the challenge cup semi-final, Sheffield lost to Nottingham and it saw the end of Doug Christiansen despite the recent good league form with a good winning streak in December and January including three wins v Panthers in a row but it just wasn't good enough and it had been prove that Christiansen was the wrong man for the job and Tony Smith took the blame for that and admitted the appointment was wrong and both parties separated on good terms in which since then Christiansen has became the bench coach at Dundee but before his sacking also saw Marc LeFebrve leave for the head coach job at Coventry. Captain Steven Goertzen took charge of the team but unfortunately suffered a concussion in Cardiff which also meant he couldn't full fill his duties and Sheffield went out of the cup after a defeat in the second leg as well and within a couple of weeks ex Sheffield player and ex head coach of the Cardiff Devils Gerad Adams was appointed head coach of the Steelers and what a difference we've seen and in his short stay so far we've seen some fantastic games and performances and has only lost two of his games in charged which were both unfortunately in the Hull arena obviously not a happy hunting ground at the moment.

Gerad has a cracking playoff record getting Cardiff to the final four weekend for 10 successive seasons but unfortunately wasn't able to win it for the Devils. After two years away Sheffield are looking to make it this year and I think Gerad Adams is not only the person who can get us there but who can end our trophy drought. Bring on Coventry in the quarter-finals!.

So really what can we say about the season players were unaware how important the league was over here but eventually stepped up their game, we struggled to put a winning streak together and I think the slow start to the season is what really cost us. Just the number of injuries we have had throughout the season is damaging as I think we had suffered up to a 100 injuries before Christmas alone but we wasn't the only team as Nottingham and Coventry had injuries after injuries and then when you look at Belfast who have been so consistent throughout the entire season and have had very few injuries compared to the other teams and it just makes you think though what was it about the Giants that made them so great during the league season. Belfast won the elite league championship as well as the Erhardt conference with Dundee winning the Gardiner conference and Belfast did have a chance to make it 3 out of 4 trophies with the playoffs still to be played when they faced Nottingham in the challenge cup final but Nottingham created an impressive comeback in the second leg of the final to win the challenge cup for fifth successive season to take away any chance of a grand slam for Belfast. Next up is the playoffs one of the best parts of the season and were guaranteed to be in for a roller coaster ride for the final two weekends :).

So good luck to all eight teams in the playoffs and may the best team win!

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@MartynDRoyce
@FrozenSteelBlog

Check out the Frozen Steel Forum

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

Stingrays Make Playoffs After Win v Steelers: (EIHL) Game Recap

Sunday 23rd March 2013 - Hull Stingrays (23-24-4) v Sheffield Steelers (31-16-4) @ Hull Arena. Face off: 6pm

Steelers face Hull on the final regular game of the season and Hull have to win to have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs! and after Sheffield's last visit to Hull they wont be looking to give up points easy.

Due to the poor visibility at Hull it's just a game recap today well to be honest because I was in fancy dress I was too busy singing and dancing :)

The View From On High - Hull (a) 23/3/14

So with everything else I tried to organise (and failed with) for Sunday, would you believe a hockey game actually took place?

It was a barnstormer too, with lots of physicality and a pretty skilful game, just what I needed for the couple of newbies who came with us.

Lets look at it a bit deeper.

Steelers Win Final Home League Game v Blaze: (EIHL) Match Report

Saturday 22nd March 2013 - Sheffield Steelers (30-16-4) v Coventry Blaze (23-21-6) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face off: 7pm

Final home game of the regular season as Sheffield take on Coventry who are still looking for points to confirm a playoff spot, Teddy bear toss game of the season so who's going to score that 1st goal to bring on the teddy's.

The game got underway and within ten seconds Blaze were on the attack as Ashley Tait was played in down the right but saw his shot go high and over, it would be followed by Tait having another go but could only shoot wide and Dowd would pick up the puck and break down the right top lay in Kohn just inside the Blaze zone and saw his shot gloved down by Zacharias. Coventry would then have two glorious chances as Guthrie went blocker side on Doyle but saw his shot go over the net and then several minutes later Cale Tanaka showed some fantastic skating and got himself on to the breakaway and Sheffield showed some fantastic D to deny a goal scoring opportunity. Coventry would take the first penalty of the game as Tanaka was called for hooking was that was soon evened up within a minute as Legue went for hooking and with Coventry back to full strength and a terrible turnover by the Steelers Doyle would have to save off Ryan Ginand back hand. Fata had two chances with Sheffield back on the power play but would see both his shots shoot over and wide. Would be several penalties called as Ginand and Spencer had words with each other and then within a couple of minutes Ryan Ginand just seemed to have lost it as something had happened on the benches which resulted in him hitting the boards with his stick before he attempted to hit the sanction in between the two benches. Just a couple of minutes late Frank Doyle had to save of Ginand who had the whole of the goal to aim at but couldn't get it past the catcher. With the Steelers back to full strength after a Lacroix tripping call the Steelers forward broke with Chris Blight in support but after passing to a Blight only saw the shot go wide. Doyle was called upon one final time as he had to knee pad a 1 on 1 effort by Shea Guthrie wide to keep the scores at 0-0 at the end of the 1st.

End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 0-0 Coventry Blaze
Shots on Goal: Steelers 10-7 Blaze

Sheffield started the second period brightly as Dowd skated in the Blaze zone 2 on 1 only to be denied by the post that would be followed by a Coventry power play which was easily killed by the Steelers as Coventry proved no threat on the man advantage. Sheffield would soon get a 5 on 3 power play chance and Legue had two great chances, one he put into the side netting of the goal before his second one was caught by Zacharias. Langlais would lay a hit on Ginand and then for some reason Ginand came from behind of Langlais and got him from behind on the face and then received nothing but he officials and then up at the other end Dowd would hit the post for a second time in the game. The second period seem to go by as it seemed like an exhibition game which it basically was for the Steelers with both goaltenders having to stand up and save decent goal scoring opportunities. The buzzer would go for another goal scoring chance but before that Meyer was denied by Zacharias for then Benn Olson to show his thuggish side from behind which didn't go down nicely with Stefan's teammates but the scores would still be deadlocked at the end of 2.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 0-0 Coventry Blaze
Shots on Goal: Steelers 15-9 Blaze

Sheffield again started the period strong and saw Chris Blight's shot from the blue line blocked wide, and then Lacroix provided the loudest cheer in the arena of the night so far as it saw Ginand bounce back of him as well as another Coventry player in front of Zacharias's goal. Zacharias would soon be saving again then after a great pass from Lacroix to play in Langlais, Coventry began to get frustrated and brought out their physical side as Meyer received a big hit of Mike Egener followed by Coventry's Tanaka putting in a nasty hit from behind on Blight which saw the Steelers forward down injured and also saw the Coventry man receive a 2+10 penalty for the hit. Blaze however successfully killed the power play and wold soon see a glorious chance go a miss as Sheffield were struggling to clear their lines and Coventry couldn't find a way into the open goal. There would be some 4 on 4 hockey but not long after Sheffield would be back on the power play after Benn Olson elbowed DiCasmirro and received a two minute penalty and a penalty I was surprised wasn't extended for abuse to an official from inside the penalty box, And finally on 54:31 the first goal of the night was finally scored and it was a power play goal scored by Dustin Kohn when he fired a lovely little slap shot from the blue line to beat Zacharias down low with assisted of Legue and Lacroix and would bring on the teddies which involved the players helping to tidy up the teddy bear toss which looked amazing. Coventry had one final power play chance but couldn't find a way past Doyle who had been outstanding all night and then on 59:03 with Zacharias pulled the Steelers broke with Chris Blight who played in Maxime Lacroix to score into the empty net and help Sheffield win 2-0 on a Saturday night against Coventry.
Shots on Goal: Steelers 11-7 Blaze

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 2-0 Coventry Blaze

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Sheffield  - 0-0-2-0-[20]-{1/8}-36
Coventry - 0-0-0-0-[34]-{0/5}-23

Sheffield Man of the Match: #1 Frank Doyle
Coventry Man of the Match: #1 Mike Zacharias

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks
Referee:
Linesman: #23 Lee Young
Linesman: #14 James Kavanagh

So a very successful teddy bear toss which looked fantastic, and it was a strong performance and was a game played in playoff style only a week before the playoffs actually start and it is looking like the Coventry Blaze that the Steelers will face in the quarter finals. That also turned out to be Frank Doyle's sixth shut-out of the season and it was also nice to see Marc Lefebrve back in the building.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

Check out the Frozen Steel Forum

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

Well that didn't go to plan

Traffic. Rain. Hull. Feisty Game. Editorial Nerves. Rushing about. Time constraints.

Reasons why filming of episode 1 of The Furnace did not occur last night.

I also had to rush back to Scarborough post-game, so was not able to conduct interviews with Sylvain Cloutier and Ben Bowns, for which I can only apologise. I hope to rearrange, or conduct post-season email interviews with them (hopefully, sorry again gentlemen).

My intention is to do some filming at the playoff quarter final on Tuesday April 1st. I have the day off so I'll be travelling down early and want to see lots of you.

Sorry again folks. It is coming, its just taking some sorting.

Liam

The EIHL Playoffs 2014 - Preview And Prediction

It'd be lovely after the confusion and the many different scenarios of the last weekend if we could have some simplicity for the playoffs.

Unfortunately, this is the Elite League, so no such luck. However I can guess.

Frozen Steel Meets: Tylor Michel

Last season, Canadian forward Tylor Michel came in like a whirlwind to the Motorpoint Arena, making a positive impression on fans for his silky skills and never say die attitude.

Tylor moved on at the end of the season, but left behind a host of fans who he wowed during his year in orange. I spoke to him earlier this week, on an off day from his new team, the Brampton Beast.

Frozen Steel Gathering - It Is Upon Us

This has been in the pipeline for a couple of months, but the day is nearly upon us. The 1st Frozen Steel Gathering.

The last game of the regular season, at the nearest EIHL team to me, seemed like a good place to start. Luckily it's not far away from you lovely people too, so I'm expecting quite a few Steelers fans in attendance.

Here's our plan:

The Playoff Picture: How It Looks Going Into The Last Weekend

Possibly the most exciting part of the season so far, what with Belfast's runaway victory, is the race not to finish 9th and make it into the playoffs.

There's a few people have done lots of scenarios, and I thought I'd have a look at it myself.

10 Things I'm Still Not Sure About

Our resident newbie Martyn Royce has become a proper student on the game, doing proper research into the sport, and he's becoming properly devoted. It's grand to see.

However, he has a few things that he's not too sure about, and he's written them down for your perusal. Some of them I could have answered myself, but I thought I'd open it up to the floor and allow you, the Frozen Steel-reading public, to answer them instead. I'll give you details of how at the bottom.

Steelers Damage Hull Playoff Hopes: (EIHL) Match Report

Sunday 16th March 2013 - Sheffield Steelers (29-16-4) v Hull Stingrays (23-23-4) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face off: 5pm

The penultimate home league game of the season with Hull fighting hard for a play off spot and it really being a nothing game for the Steelers.

Frozen Steel Meets: Leeds Knights GM Neil Fox - What Can We Expect From The New Yorkshire Outfit?

You may have seen the poster doing the rounds, announcing the first game for the newly formed Leeds Knights, as they take on the Grimsby Stormers in a "Charity Challenge Match" at Ice Sheffield on Sunday April 6th at 8:30pm.

I took the opportunity to speak to Knights' GM Neil Fox about their formation, and their plans for the future.

Meyer Scores Twice as Steelers Win in Edinburgh: (EIHL) Game Recap

Saturday 15th March 2013 - Edinburgh Capitals (12-33-3) v Sheffield Steelers (28-16-4) @ Murrayfield Ice Rink. Face off: 6pm

Sheffield's last trip to Scotland of the season having already ran out 10-3 winners in Edinburgh earlier in the season back in September and with Sheffield only needing one more win to finish above rivals Nottingham how would it turn out!

Frozen Steel End Of Season Awards - Your Chance To Win A Goodie Bag

A month or so ago we reached 500 followers on Twitter, which quite frankly is ludicrous for some people ranting about Ice Hockey. A huge thank you to everybody who has followed us, you're all diamonds.

I promised you all a competition when we reached that mark. I haven't forgotten. I was just looking for a good excuse. And here it is.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the first annual Frozen Steel Blog End Of Season Awards.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD - MY JOURNEY INTO ICE HOCKEY

My friend Martyn Royce has been to two ice hockey games in his entire life, both in the last two weeks. His first in this country was last Saturday's 5-1 defeat to Hull, but his first game overall was at German side ERC Ingolstadt. Quite a contrast. Martyn is a very eloquent man and jumped at the chance of writing a comparison between the two. Bear in mind that before the game in Germany, he'd never been to an ice hockey game.

Steelers And Giants Play Out Cracker At Motorpoint: (EIHL) Match Report

Sunday 9th March 2013 - Sheffield Steelers (27-16-4) v Belfast Giants (40-5-2) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face off: 5pm

Sheffield host the champions on a Sunday evening and what a difference 24 hours would make after the result in Hull on Saturday night.

The game got underway with Frank Doyle in goal for Sheffield and Stephen Murphy in goal for Belfast and the game was underway and it was Belfast Giants who attacked first through Chris Higgins who tried to round Frank Doyle only for his shot to be blocked by the Sheffield goaltender. Sheffield's first attempt fell to Chris Blight who saw his shot blocked just before Frank Doyle had to make a fantastic double save of Lloyd. Sheffield were being very cautious with the puck in the opening stages of the game due to how proceedings went the previous night in Hull. Murphy would be next to save this time of DiCasmirro who tipped Chad Langlais shot onto the blocker of Stephen Murphy, Cheverie tried his luck on the back hand only to be denied by Doyle and a fantastic play by Robert Dowd who played in Langlais just inside the Belfast zone only to see his shot covered up from between the circles. It would be Belfast who would strike first though on 11:46 when Dustin Whitecotton played in Colin Shields who coolly slotted the puck through the five hole of Frank Doyle for a 1-0 lead, Sheffield got straight back on the attack and it didn't take them long to equalise when on 12:53 some fantastic puck protection by Stefan Meyer behind the goal for him to then play in Rob Dowd who fired the back hand over Murphy to level the game and score his 100th Sheffield Steelers goal. It wouldn't be a tied game for long though when Robby Sandrock would pick the puck up assisted by Cheverie and Higgins to shoot through traffic from the blue line which took a deflection and went in off the post for a 2-1 Giants lead on 14:09. Sheffield would get the first power play of the night when Belfast's Evan Cheverie was deemed two minutes for hooking. Sheffield wouldn't be able to make it count with the best opportunity of the man advantage falling to Chad Langlais but with the Giants back to full strength Stephen Murphy had to stand up big to deny both Legue and Lacroix but it would be Belfast who would take a 2-1 lead into the 1st intermission.
End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 1-2 Belfast Giants
Shots on Goal: Steelers 9-11 Giants

Second period got underway and it was the worst possible start for the Sheffield Steelers when just after 41 seconds Rob Dowd with a dreadful turnover to Colin Shields in front of goal who just snapped the puck past Frank Doyle for a 3-1 lead, Dowd would try to make up for that after an Elfring mistake allowed Dowd to skate through on goal to square to Lacroix who was up handed by Elfring with the Steelers forward down injured but would be ok to play on, Sheffield would get a 5 on 3 power play chance with Calvin Elfring and Cody Brookwell in the penalty box and would miss to golden opportunities through Drew Fata and Jeff Legue when it seemed harder to miss but Belfast would successfully make their way back to full strength and we'd start to see a more physical Sheffield team as Spencer would lay down a hit on Whitecotton just before Lacroix hit Elfring down on the Ice but on 29:51 Kevin Saurette would be given permission to skate into the Sheffield zone with Chad Langlais giving him too much space and the Giants forward would exploit that firing the puck past Frank Doyle with a slap shot to give the champions a 4-1 lead. Murphy would have to deny Legue as he was played in by Lacroix but Sheffield would find themselves on the power play with Robby Sandrock in the box for holding and Sheffield would strike from the resulting face off as Nate DiCasmirro would win the face off and pass to Baldwin who play sideways to Drew Fata who would shoot one of his slap shots which would beat Stephen Murphy over his glove to bring Sheffield within two goals on 32:44. Belfast would then create some good pressure and Sheffield would struggle to get out of their own zone resulting in Langlais taking a hooking penalty but Sheffield would do fantastic to takeaway the shooting lanes and clearing the zone when possible, Sheffield would get back to full strength and Jeffrey Szwez would see his back hand effort denied by Doyle onto to then see the puck get cleared of the line but Belfast would take a 4-2 lead into the 2nd intermission.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 2-4 Belfast Giants
Shots on Goal: Steelers 9-12 Giants

The third period would eventually get underway despite the delay due to the playing surface not being completely frozen and what a period it was with the perfect start of the Sheffield Steelers when after just 1 minute and 10 seconds of the third period Chris Blight would fire in a shot from the boards only for Jeff Legue to tip it past Stephen Murphy stood in front to bring the Sheffield Steelers within one goal. Both goaltenders would be called upon having to make several saves each but game tie-ing goal came on 44:55 when Chris Blight snapped a shot from the blue line that rebounded off Murphy into the path of Lacroix who put the puck onto the post for Legue to skate from the side of the goal and back hand it which would force Belfast to call a timeout after allowing Sheffield to level the game at 4-4 after being 4-1 up. Sheffield would start to frustrate Belfast who had Evan Cheverie taking a holding call only for 8 second later for Max Lacroix to level it up with a slashing call but neither team would score on the 4 on 4 and would successfully get back to five skaters each. Belfast would have several chances fall nicely as Szwez and Chris Higgins were denied before Keefe was on the attack only to be denied by a sliding tackle from Danny Meyers. Sheffield were going for the win and Drew Fata and Rob Dowd both tried their luck but would both see their shots covered up by Murphy. The buzzer would go and it would finish 4-4 and we'd be heading to overtime and what a comeback it was by the Sheffield Steelers.
End of Regulation: Sheffield Steelers 4-4 Belfast GiantsShots on Goal: Steelers 13-8 Giants

So a 4-4 game and into sudden death overtime it was and it was an exciting start to the added period as Doyle had to deny Belfast from in just front before Sheffield went straight up the other end and somehow didn't find the game winning goal through DiCasmirro and Dowd which seemed like golden chances as Doyle then had to stand tall to a Sandrock shot and then with just over a minute of overtime remaining Jeffrey Szwez managed to get himself on the breakaway only to be denied by a fantastic poke check by Drew Fata but Fata would then take a boarding call and gift Giants with a power play with 44 second left but Sheffield would successfully see the remainder of overtime and take the game to penalty shots.
End of Overtime: Sheffield Steelers 4-4 Belfast GiantsShots on Goal: Steelers 2-4 Giants

Into penalty shots then and it would be Belfast who would shoot first through Dustin Whitecotton but Frank Doyle would make the save with the knee pads and then it was over to Chris Blight who beat Stephen Murphy on the back hand to give Sheffield a 1-0 lead, Craig Peacock would be Giants second shooter but wouldn't be able to get it past Doyle as the Sheffield goaltender saved again, Maxime Lacroix had the opportunity to win the game but could only shoot into the body of Murphy and then up last for Belfast it was Robby Sandrock who had to score to keep Giants in the shoot out but Doyle saved it with the blocker and fist pumped the ground in delight as Sheffield won the game.

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 5-4 Belfast Giants (PS)

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-SO-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Sheffield  - 1-1-2-0-1-[6]-{1/5}-34
Belfast     - 2-2-0-0-0-[10]-{0/3}-35

Sheffield Man of the Match: #11 Jeff Legue
Belfast Man of the Match: #19 Colin Shields

Referee: #26 Dean Smith
Referee:
Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth
Linesman: #8 Dave Farren

What a night at the Motorpoint Arena, what a performance by the Steelers to come from 4-1 down to level the game at 4-4 and then win on penalty shots in a massive two pointer in the fight to secure second place in the elite league with only four games remaining.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

Ben Bowns Shines v Steelers: (EIHL) Match Report

Saturday 8th March 2013 - Hull Stingrays (21-22-4) v Sheffield Steelers (27-15-4) @ Hull Arena. Face off: 6.30pm

Sheffield travelled to Hull on a Saturday evening, this was meant to be a full match report but the view was that bad I didn't bother with updates so just a game recap I'm afraid.

It was a great start for the home side when Carl Lauzon scored at 1:18 into the game assisted by Pavel Gomeniuk for a 1-0 Hull lead. Sheffield got two power play attempts and wasn't able to make any of them count coming up against an outstanding Ben Bowns. Hull didn't score on their first man advantage but 19:23 and the final minute of the 1st period was able to score a second goal courtesy of Jason Silverthorn assisted by Guillaume Doucet  and Carl Lauzon as Hull went into the break 2-0 up.
End of the 1st Period: Hull Stingrays 2-0 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Stingrays 7-15 Steelers

Second period started and it was a 3 goal period for the Hull Stingrays when on 23:25 Sylvain Cloutier was next to score to give Hull a 3 goal lead assisted by Carl Lauzon and Guillaume Doucet and then on 26:39 on a 5 on 3 power play the always impressive Jereme Tendler scored their fourth unanswered goal assisted by Omar Pacha and Matthew Davies. On 34:52 the Steelers night got even worse as Sylvain Cloutier scored his second of the game for a 5-0 lead assisted by Martin Ondrej and Guillaume Doucet. Into the second intermission and 5-0 down for the Steelers both sets of fans couldn't believe what they was seeing.
End of the 2nd Period: Hull Stingrays 5-0 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Stingrays 14-14 Steelers

Third Period was more about damage limitations but Sheffield massively out shot the Hull Stingrays, Sheffield had one power play chance in the 3rd period but couldn't figure out Ben Bowns who had been outstanding all night and it was on 59:15 when Ben Bowns was robbed of his shut out when Robert Dowd scored assisted by Stefan Meyer and Nate DiCasmirro.
Shots on Goal: Stingrays 8-23 Steelers

FINAL SCORE: Hull Stingrays 5-1 Sheffield Steelers

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Hull         - 2-3-0-0-[8]-{1/5}-29
Sheffield - 0-0-1-0-[12]-{0/3}-52

Hull Man of the Match: #33 Ben Bowns
Sheffield Man of the Match: #49 Drew Fata

Referee: #26 Dean Smith
Referee:
Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth
Linesman: #38 Danny Beresford

A 5-1 defeat for the Steelers in Hull but wasn't so bad when all results elsewhere also went their way and next up for Sheffield was a visit by the champions the Belfast Giants on the Sunday evening. Sheffield out shoot Hull 52-29 but still lose 5-1! how often can you say that? Ben Bowns was just simply magnificent.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

An Introduction To Sledge Hockey

Unless you refuse to watch Channel 4, you'll be aware that the 2014 Sochi Paralympics began this morning. Our fair sport is represented in the form of Sledge Hockey. Here, friend of the blog Norma Herron researched the sport so you don't have to.

With the Paralympics coming up soon, there are a lot of advertisments on the TV featuring Ice sledge hockey. I could be the only person interested in how it started but thought it could help people understand the sport.

Why You Should Go To The Motorpoint On Sunday

Frozen Steel Forum mod Tony *********** (you'll all know him as Gu15eley) writes about the all conquering 2014 Elite League Champions

ARE THE BELFAST GIANTS THE 2014 EIHL ALL-STAR TEAM – TELL ME I’M WRONG.

With the end of season approaching, the Ice Hockey Journos, owners and big-wigs get to vote for their first and second all-star lines, and I’m here to tell you why I think the Giants can fill all six spots.

You Are Either Pregnant Or You're Not

Says Gary Moran about the decision not to dole out retrospective punishment on Drew Fata for his hit on Greg Jacina. That's not the funniest thing to come out of his interview with the Nottingham Post, though.

"I loved the first period on Tuesday with two refs. They were just focused. I'm a long-time advocate of a two-ref system. Others want to increase to four like the rest of the world. I don't. They are focused with two. They are equal. They get into the game."

Gotta love him, haven't you?

5 Things I Would Change About The Steelers Match Night

Everyone has an opinion about what could be better or worse about a match night, regardless of who you support or where your team play. Whether its the choice of music, the colour of the lights, the quality of the toilets, somebody will always find something to pick fault at.

To the credit of the Steelers, they are constantly trying to find ways to improve the match night experience, Tony Smith said at the recent fans forum that they consider match nights to be a 'show', and he wants everyone to be entertained.

Here's a few suggestions from me as to how the Steelers match nights could be improved.

Race For Second Heats Up In Dundee: (EIHL) Game Recap

Thursday 6th March 2013 - Dundee Stars (25-17-3) v Sheffield Steelers (26-15-4) @ Dundee Ice Arena. Face off: 7.30pm

The race for second is heating up, who would come out on top on a Thursday night in Dundee?

Doyle in goal for the Steelers with Mark Thomas back in the lineup but still without injured Goertzen, Woolhouse and Nell who is on that two way deal, Dan Bakala in goal for Dundee who are missing Rawlyk, Wiril and Sacchetti. The first period passed without any incident with no penalties being called and with the Steelers out shooting the home side 13-5 and by the sounds of it Dan Bakala making several outstanding saves to keep Sheffield at bay.

End of the 1st Period: Dundee Stars 0-0 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Stars 5-13 Steelers

Second period would start and Dundee would go close with Bagron and Kashirsky before Bakala was performing more heroics to keep his side in the game then on 28:57 Tim Spencer would break the deadlock assisted by Maxime Lacroix and Jonathan Phillips to put the Steelers 1-0 up just before the midway stage of the game. Qualie would test Doyle from the point but the Sheffield goaltender would be having a quiet game so far but Stars would begin to build some decent pressure but were unable to figure Frank Doyle out. First penalty of the night was called on 36:18 when Nikita Kashirky was deemed two minutes for slashing to put Sheffield onto the first power play of the night and then on 37:11 Sheffield would make it 2-0 with a power play goal curiously of Robert Dowd assisted by Stefan Meyer and Gord Baldwin. Dan Bakala had to save a 3 on 2 break before Sheffield nearly tipped one in with four seconds left on clock.

End of the 2nd Period: Dundee Stars 0-2 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Stars 3-17 Steelers

The third period got better for the Steelers when on 43:04 Robert Dowd scored his second of the night assisted by Nate DiCasmirro and Stefan Meyer for a 3-0 Sheffield lead. It was another period being controlled by Sheffield and Dundee just couldn't get into the game and on 56:46 as a penalty for Swindlehurst expired Robert Dowd scored his second of the game assisted by Dustin Kohn and Chad. Langlais to make it 4-0. With just under three minutes remaining Phil Hill took another penalty for holding of the stick but Sheffield would hold on for a 4-0 win and a 14 shot shutout for Frank Doyle

Shots on Goal: Stars 6-17 Steelers

FINAL SCORE: Dundee Stars - Sheffield Steelers

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Dundee    - 0-0-0-0-[4]-{0/2}-14
Sheffield - 0-2-2-0-[4]-{1/2}-47

Dundee Man of the Match: #39 Dan Bakala
Sheffield Man of the Match: #1 Frank Doyle

Referee: #13 Scott Dalgleish
Referee:
Linesman: #31 Ally Flockhart
Linesman: #38 Pavel Halas

A convincing 4-0 win for the Sheffield Steelers up in Dundee and a 14 shot shut out for Frank Doyle, 14 shots yeah!! that says a lot about the performance as well as managing 47 shots on goal and forced Dan Bakala to perform just like he has done all season. It also shows what Gerad Adams has done to lift the team. next up is Hull away on Saturday before Belfast at home on Sunday.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

British Bulldog Scores Twice In Adams Home Debut v Devils: (EIHL) MatchReport

Sunday 2nd March 2013 - Sheffield Steelers (25-15-4) v Cardiff Devils (21-21-3) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face off: 5pm

Gerad Adams first home game after a successful night in Nottingham against his former club the Cardiff Devils, was it to be a four point weekend for the Steelers

Sheffield still without the injured Mark Thomas and captain Steven Goertzen, Mike Hicks ref for a second night in a row (unfortunate). The game got underway and it was a much faster start by Sheffield than the previous night when after only 59 seconds Danny Meyers assisted by Rob Dowd and Stefan Meyer would fire a slap shot from the right hand side of the blue near the Devils bench which would beat Kosowski for Meyers to finally score his first arena goal. Cardiff wouldn't be helping themselves out as they would find themselves on the penalty kill not long after as Tyson Marsh was called for delay of the game and straight way Sheffield would get back on the attack when Drew Fata would take a shot from the point only for DiCasmirro to tip it into the mask of Kosowski after great work by Fata to keep the puck in the zone, Cardiff would then get a 2 on 1 break only for Kurka to play to Birbraer who shot wide. Sheffield would double their lead on 5:10 after some fantastic skating by Phillips down the left to fake a shot and pass it back to Jason Hewitt who would slot it along the ice and past the pad of Kosowski to make it 2-0. It would be a very dominate start by the Steelers. Cardiff would get a power play when Jeff Legue was deemed two minutes for hooking and Devils would struggle to set up as Sheffield would take away the shooting lanes, with the Steelers back to full strength they got back on the attack through Lacroix who shot into the body of Kosowski before Jason Hewitt had to deny Mac Faulkner from in front of goal to clear the puck as Doyle couldn't get to it. In to some four on four hockey after some pushing and shoving between Hewitt and Rupert Quiney after a coming together at the benches and Doyle would have to deny Plumpton twice after Jeff Legue somehow missed the goal after putting the puck through the legs of Kosowski and then with Svete in the box and Sheffield back on the power play Drew Fata would shot from the blue line only to be denied by the pipes and Kamil Kosowski had to lay down on the ice as he had no idea where the puck was but he had it covered. With the clock running down Phil Hill would lay a big hit on Tyson Marsh which wasn't appreciated by the Devils.
End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 2-0 Cardiff Devils

Sheffield would start the second period with the same intensity as the first as they would find themselves on an early power play but Lacroix would see his shot denied by Kosowski on the doorstep and then Jeff Legue with one of his famous one timers would fall short as he broke his stick on the play. After some fantastic defensive work by Danny Meyers in his own zone Devils would find a way past Doyle on 26:03 when Max Birbraer assisted by Markus Rama would skate into the Sheffield zone and fake a shot on Langlais before firing a bullet wrist shot past Doyle to bring the Devils within one goal. That goal seemed to lift Cardiff's game as they would have a few half chances as a bit of sloppiness started to creep into Sheffield's game. Then another coming together of players so Spencer and Plumpton collide with gloves off and punches being through both received two minute minors for roughing and with Cardiff on the power play a glorious chance for Faulkner went begging as Doyle was beaten after a deflected shot by Tyson Marsh from the blue line only for Faulkner to be denied in the open goal by some great defending by Chad Langlais. With Spencer and Plumpton out of the box and back on the benches they was still going at each other and then it was on 39:49 after a toe drag shot by Legue was saved, assisted by Jeff Legue and Dustin Kohn; Max Lacroix would place the puck high to make it 3-1 to the Steelers. On the buzzer there was another coming together at the benches after Spencer and Plumpton carried on going at each other on the benches.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 3-1 Cardiff Devils

With the Steelers dominating the first period and the second period was a fairly even second and what would the third period turn out to be? Well it would be another dominate period by Sheffield and Lacroix, Meyers and Dowd would all see shots go begging before Baldwin hit Chris Jones hard into the boards and then on 45:13 Phil Hill assisted by Fata and Spencer would fire a fierce slap shot from the left to beat Kosowski into the top of the goal and then just 33 seconds later Chris Blight made it 5-1 from the opposite side and would fire a slap shot low into the back of the goal. Cardiff would create some pressure but wouldn't be able to create any scoring chances until 47:47 Max Birbraer would be passed to in front of Doyle by Rama and would place it past Doyle to add a second Devils goal on to the board. On 51:50 Sheffield would turn defence into attack as Fata would skate into the Cardiff zone to make a play in front of goal that Jason Hewitt would tip in for his second of the game for a 6-2 lead for the Steelers. With Danny Meyers in the box for tripping Cardiff would get one final power play attempt with 3:25 remaining in the game, but nothing would come of it and it was be another disappointing trip for Cardiff away from Sheffield this season as Sheffield would take all the points to strengthen their hold on second place.

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 6-2 Cardiff Devils

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Sheffield  - 2-1-3-0-[10]-{0/4}-42
Cardiff    - 0-1-1-0-[12]-{0/3}-24

Sheffield Man of the Match: #17 Jason Hewitt
Cardiff Man of the Match: #23 Max Birbraer

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks
Referee:
Linesman: #8 Dave Farren
Linesman: #25 Andy Dalton

Sheffield would improve to 26-15-4 and moving onto 56 points, three points ahead of 3rd place Dundee who they face next on Thursday night in Dundee in which promises to be a tasty affair.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)

Steelers Dominate At The NIC v Panthers: (EIHL) Game Recap

Saturday 1st March 2013 - Nottingham Panthers (23-15-6) v Sheffield Steelers (24-15-4) @ National Ice Centre. Face off: 7pm

The final match between the Steelers and the Panthers and it would be Sheffield that would be taking home the extra point.

Frank Doyle in goal for the Steelers, Craig Kowalski in goal for the Panthers, No Brent Henley for Nottingham as he is banned and once again no Steven Goertzen and no Mark Thomas for the Steelers. Nottingham took a two goal lead and would strike first at 6:52 as Matt Francis would score with assists from Robert Farmer and Tom Norton and then on 8:56 after a give away on the blue line David Clarke would score to make it 2-0 with an assist being credited to Leigh Salters. New Sheffield head coach Gerad Adams would call a time out at 8:56 of the first period and apparently the players would be back on the Ice after 10 seconds of a 30 second time out with Gerad simply saying some simple words "Hit Them".
End of the 1st Period: Nottingham Panthers 2-0 Sheffield Steelers

Sheffield would pull a goal back on 36:01 when Tim Spencer scored assisted by Chris Blight and Jeff Legue as Sheffield were massively out shooting Nottingham after already wasting three power play attempts.
End of the 2nd Period: Nottingham Panthers 2-1 Sheffield Steelers

Sheffield would come out for the third period and carry on where they left off where they carried on hammering at Kowalski's goal and on 57:01 they found their equaliser with the scorer being Stefan Meyer after a fantastic assist by Drew Fata. Both teams had failed to score on the power play on the night four for Sheffield and three for Nottingham.
End of Regulation and Overtime: Nottingham Panthers 2-2 Sheffield Steelers

Into the shootout and first up would be Chris Blight who would successfully score against Kowalski followed up by Matt Francis who would be denied by Frank Doyle. Maxime Lacroix would step up to make it 2-0 in the shoot out before Eric Werner had to score to keep the shoot out going but wouldn't be able to convert and Sheffield would win 3-2 and take the extra point home.

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

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Nottingham  - 2-0-0-0-[12]-{0/3}-17
Sheffield       - 0-1-1-0-[10]-{0/4}-48

Nottingham Man of the Match: #33 Craig Kowalski
Sheffield Man of the Match: #75 Robert Dowd

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks
Referee:
Linesman: #14 James Kavanagh
Linesman: #25 Andy Dalton

A massive two points in the race for second point as this win keeps them in second one point ahead of Nottingham after coming from two goals down to win 3-2 in the shoot out. Up next for Nottingham is a trip to Dundee and next up for Sheffield is a home game v Gerad Adams old team the Cardiff Devils on Sunday.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article or via Twitter:-
@IAmMcCausland
@TomWalkeden
@AwkwardGinge
@FrozenSteelBlog

or Email the team at frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

Keep Supporting The Boys!!

Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
(Follow me on Twitter for Live Updates on Games)