Match Report: 23.11.2014 - Steelers v Blaze EC/EIHL

Sunday 23^rd November 2014 – Sheffield Steelers (12-4-0) v Coventry Blaze (8-9-0) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face-off: 5pm, Erhardt Conference/Elite League

Two points out of four so far for the Steelers as they travelled back home for game three in three nights looking to finish the weekend on a high

Sheffield Steelers – 3
Michael Forney – 1^st PP
Cullen Eddy – 1^st
Mathieu Roy – OT PP

Coventry Blaze – 2
Steven Goertzen (2) 1^st, 1^st

The game got underway with Frank Doyle in goal for the Steelers and Brian Stewart who publicly said he was injured the night before in between the pipes for the visitors, the game started off in a very slow manner with no real chances early on for either team, there was a lot of neutral zone hockey. The first shot came from the home side as Jay Latulippe shot one from the blue line into the glove off Stewart and it was the home team that got the first power play of the night as Craig Cescon was called for holding of the stick and Sheffield got to work, they had early chances through Phillips and Roy and on 6:52 Steelers took the lead when Fretter played it to Forney who fired a slap shot from the right of Stewart over his left shoulder for a 1-0 lead. Straight after the goal the Steelers were straight back on the powerplay after bad hit on Roy by Bochek but Blaze would kill the penalty and just after they killed Sarich from the right hand boards threw one on goal and it was Roy who just tipped it over Stewart but then Blaze went up the other end to level the game after Doyle made the save from a shot by Ross Venus and it was Doyle who swiped the puck off the goal line and former Steeler Steven Goertzen scored the rebound timed at 10:14. Both teams weren’t looking themselves during the period as both teams were making sloppy plays but still were finding ways to attack but both netminders were in good form but at 14:17 Sheffield retook the lead after Forney played to Eddy to the left of Stewart and fired it into the net of Stewart for 2-1 but in the very next attack Coventry levelled the game again timed at 14:43 after some fantastic skating by Venus he made a smart part across Doyle for an easy tap in for Goertzen for his second of the game and the teams would be all square at the break.

End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 2–2 Coventry Blaze

Shots on Goal: Steelers 9-10 Blaze

Second period was massively controlled by the Steelers as they only allowed the Blaze two shots but Brian Stewart would stand on his head to denying chance after chance especially during the penalty kill when it was Forney  who made a great move in the Coventry zone and Stewart saved from in front and Colton Fretter missed the open goal as he shot just over and not long after Sarich would break down the right hand side he’d pull the move with Stewart down and beaten but his back hand would just go over the crossbar. Coventry did get Sheffield camped in their zone but only managed to get on shot off during the spell as Steven Chalmers was having a great shift. Sheffield would break 2v0 with the top two point scorers in the league as Forney and Roy would exchange passes but Stewart would make an outstanding glove save to deny the Steelers the lead and then soon after Cale Tanaka would find himself on the breakaway but Doyle would make a great pad save and Baldwin would block the follow up to ensure that both teams are level going into the second intermission.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 2–2 Coventry Blaze

Shots on Goal: Steelers 12–2 Blaze

Third period would get underway in a physical manner as Cullen Eddy skated into the Coventry zone he forced a body save out of Brian Stewart and got a glove in the face by Cescon for his trouble but he didn’t let that bother him as he carried on skating hard. Coventry got their only power play of the game in the third and Ryan O’Marra almost gave the visitors the lead where tried to go around the goal and Frank Doyle made a spectacular leg save to deny him at the back post. Both teams were giving it all they’ve got but both teams looked tired, Steelers were on their third game in three nights and Blaze were coming in on the back of a humiliating defeat by the Devils the night before. Things got nasty when there was a coming together between Eddy and DaCosta in front of Stewart and then Bochek was third man in but he wouldn’t receive third man in. Eddy and Bochek both got two minutes for roughing and five minutes for fighting and DaCosta got a roughing penalty which gave the Steelers another powerplay attempt but they couldn’t convert as Stewart was standing on his head to keep out the home side but the game would go to overtime.
End of Regulation: Sheffield Steelers 2-2 Coventry Blaze
Shots on Goal: Steelers 10–5 Blaze

Overtime got underway and Rory Rawlyk was called for a slash on Mosienko with just 10 seconds gone which there was no need for him to do and Sheffield got to work circling well in the Blaze zone before O’Connor firing a shot on goal which Stewart dropping the original shot and Mathieu Roy was there to fire home the rebound from close range for the game winner timed at 60:32 to give Sheffield the extra point and send them top of the league.
Shots on Goal: Steelers 2-0 Blaze

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 3–2 Coventry Blaze OT

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)

Sheffield  - 2-0-0-1-[9]-{2/5}-33

Coventry - 2-0-0-0-[17]-{0/1}-17

Sheffield Man of the Match: #15 Mathieu Roy
Coventry Man of the Match: #41 Brian Stewart

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 8 Points
Cullen Eddy (1+0), Michael Forney (1+2), Mathieu Roy (1+1), Colton Fretter (0+1), Ben O’Connor (0+1)

Coventry Points Round Up: - 6 Points

Russell Cowley (0+1), Steven Goertzen (2+0), Ryan O’Marra (0+1), Ross Venus (0+2)

Referee: #14 James Kavanagh

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks

Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth

Linesman: #38 Danny Beresford

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