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.

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Let's Go Steelers!

Tom
@TomWalkeden
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