Wednesday 28 January 2015

SIHA Round-Up 24th & 25th January 2015


It was another mixed bag of results & fortunes for SIHA’s teams this last weekend which had got off to good start with a comprehensive 22-0 victory for Rapiers U16 D1 over Billingham. This followed on from Lasers U12 D1 midweek 5-3 win over Nottingham which strengthens their position at the top of their table.

Spartans were in NIHL action but a below par performance in a scrappy & at times lack lustred game saw Billingham Stars bag the points with a 4-2 victory. Stars took advantage of some sloppy defending to take a 1-0 lead into the second period. Some sustained from pressure for Stars should have seen them well clear but Spartans held firm to then hit back and equalise through Elliott Knell.

The final period was a scrappy affair, not helped by some inconsistent officiating with bizarre calls on both teams but Stars again punished some slack defending to go 3-1 up through Michael Bowman & Andy Munroe. Things got worse for Spartans as Stars scored a great goal through Thomas Stuart-Dant to make it 4-1. It could have been even worse had it not been for Brandon Stones in Spartans goal but another break in favoured Spartans who went onto enjoy probably their best spell of the game and pulled a goal back, a nice goal too scored by Nick Manning. Despite their efforts Spartans couldn’t find a way past a well drilled defence and in the final minutes Stars gained control to see the game out to deservedly win 4-2.

Whilst Samurai U10’s were tucking into their kebabs after their cross-ice contests in Solihull just down the road the academy’s other senior team, Senators, edged ever closer to automatic promotion with a superb 6-1 road win in Coventry. Blaze had opened the scoring but 2 goals in each period ensured the points came back to Sheffield with Josh Gent, Jonny Bell, Arran Bell, Sergevs “Stevie” Jegorovs, Nathan Britton & Callum Rawson grabbing the goals.

Meanwhile back at Ice Sheffield there were contrasting results for our U18’s teams. Greyhounds U18 D2 were comprehensively beaten 19-0 by Sheffield Steeldogs Academy who included EPL players Cam Brownley & Tom Barry with Cam the star of the show with 7 goals & 4 assists. Steelhawks U18 D1 enjoyed a good 10-0 victory over rivals Telford as their improved form continues.

On Sunday, Swampfrogs U12 D2 enjoyed a 4-1 win away at Blackburn with goals from Sam Parkin, Archie Grayson, Ethan Jones & Danecko Michael. Spartans Jonathan Kirk stood in to oversee Stormers U14 D1 superb 6-2 victory down the road in Nottingham to go back to the top of the table over Bradford but to also widen the gap between themselves and 3rd place Nottingham.

All in all it was a pretty good weekend for our academy teams and no doubt those who suffered with disappointments will be keen to bounce back to show what they are truly capable of…onwards & upwards!

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article, Facebook or via Twitter:-
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@FrozenSteelMNL
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Tuesday 27 January 2015

FSB FrozCast Episode #2 - The Curious Case Of Michael Forney



Listen to the FSB Frozcast by using the player above.

If you haven't heard the FSB Frozcast yet, don't worry, its new.

Episode 2 of the FSB Podcast, now titled FrozCast courtesy of Phil Beddoe, is brought to you in association with our good friends at Cross Check Clothing.

This week sees more voices on the Frozcast than just my own. We hear from Ryan Gleeson and Mark Duell on the subjects of the two victories at the weekend over Coventry and Cardiff, the signings of Tomas Petruska and Josh Unice, and the curious case of Michael Forney.

We also hear from you, the FSB audience, in the first FrozCast FanShout, as well as previewing the two games this weekend, at home to Dundee and away at Edinburgh.

To get in touch with FSB and be included on the FrozCast:
Tweet us @FrozenSteelBlog #FrozCast
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Send us a voice message: use a voice recorder and email the file to frozen.steel.91@gmail.com

All shares, RTs and feedback are welcome as always, thanks for listening.

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To Hull And Back - The Statistical Probabilities Of The Title Run In


There's around a third of the EIHL season to go and we've got 5 teams not just in contention for the title but with their destiny in their own hands. 

Due to the fixture least meaning all of the top teams have to play each other at least once any team that wins out from here is guaranteed to be champions. It would be a surprise to see anyone go 15-0-0 or 17-0-0 from now until late March but they all know that nobody can catch them if they do.

The last close title race involving multiple teams was in 2010/11 when Sheffield just pipped Cardiff and Belfast. Just one point separated those three teams in the final standings and we are probably in for a similarly close finish this season. The Steelers came out on top largely because of their record against their rivals in the late-season matches. They won in OT in Cardiff and then against them at home the following night. The Steelers and Giants split their two remaining games, as did the Devils and Giants. Sheffield's 6 points gained compared to Cardiff's 5 and Belfast's 4 determined the final standings. If just one of those wins goes the other way the title changes hands.

Monday 26 January 2015

Match Report: 25.1.2015 - Devils v Steelers EC/EIHL


Sunday 25th January 2015 – Cardiff Devils (23-9-2) v Sheffield Steelers (21-9-4) @ Big Blue Tent. Face-off: 6pm, Erhardt Conference/Elite League

Cardiff Devils –0

Sheffield Steelers – 6
Tomas Petruska – 1st
Michael Forney (2) – 2nd, 3rd SHG
Tyler Mosienko (2) – 2nd, 3rd
Jeff Legue – 3rd

Big game at the Big Blue Tent and I think everyone was in for a massive surprise on the result that it would provide. Cardiff started the game comfortably threw plenty of rubber on Josh Unice but he saved well but it was the visitors who took the lead when at 8:38 Michael Forney played Roy who went down the right fired a slap shot on Ben Bowns but he gave up a big rebound and Tomas Petruska tapped into the open goal for his first Steelers goal and a 1-0 lead. Cardiff wasted powerplay opportunities but couldn’t find a way past Unice and they trailed 1-0 going into the 1st break.
End of the 1st Period: Cardiff Devils 0–1 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Devils 16-9 Steelers

Second period didn’t get much better for the home side but the fans were treated to a fight when Mark Thomas was offered out by several players he eventually dropped the gloves with Andrew Hotham who is a big man so fair play to Mark Thomas but it was a decent fight with both players landing some nice hits by Hotham got the better hits in and the takedown but both showed good sportsmanship as they headed for the box. That was really the only thing Devils won all night and Sheffield would go on to extend their lead at 31:24 when Phil Hill worked incredibly hard in the corner and eventually got the puck to Michael Forney to the right of Bowns, Forney saw his first shot saved but managed to shoot the rebound and it trickled just over the line for 2-0. It was 3-0 at 33:40 when O’Connor played a cross ice pass to Legue who caught Bowns out and passed to Mosienko who had the easy job of redirecting into the empty net. Devils and Steelers were physical all night with lots of hits being thrown and it was nice to see Sheffield sticking up for each other after Hendrikx drove Unice it didn’t take Roy to jump in. Cardiff went into the second intermission 3-0 down and would have to have a blinder of a third session if they wanted anything out of this game.
End of the 2nd Period: Cardiff Devils 0–3 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Devils 12–9 Steelers

Into the third period Steelers lead 3-0 away from home, Unice wanted his shutout and what a performance by the visitors and they carried on their momentum into the third. It was 4-0 at 49:28 when Mathieu Roy skated down the right 2v1 and he played Forney who shot a one timer past Bowns for his second of the night and his 30th of the year while shorthanded. When back to full strength at 50:35 Mosienko scored a beauty of a goal to make it 5-0 when he found himself on the breakaway Mosienko showed good hands and went backhand and lifted the puck over Bowns and that was the end of Ben Bowns night when he was replaced by Mike Will in goal and it wasn’t long till he was picking the puck out of the net. Jeff Legue finished the nights scoring of at 53:20 when he caught Will cold he fired a bullet of a slap shot that beat Will down low and the Steelers lead 6-0 and would be leaving with the two points, a valuable win, a four point weekend and a fantastic shutout for Josh Unice.
Shots on Goal: Devils 8–9 Steelers

FINAL SCORE: Cardiff Devils 0–6 Sheffield Steelers

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Cardiff      - 0-0-0-0-[21]-{0/2}-36
Sheffield  - 1-2-3-0-[19]-{0/6}-26

Cardiff Man of the Match: #17 Mark Richardson
Sheffield Man of the Match: #31 Josh Unice

Cardiff Points Round Up: - 0 Points

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 15 Points
Jeff Legue (1+2), Michael Forney (2+1), Mathieu Roy (0+2), Tyler Mosienko (2+0), Phil Hill (0+1), Tomas Petruska (1+0), Darrell Hay (0+1), Robert Dowd (0+1), Ben O’Connor (0+1)

Referee: #9 Tom Darnell
Referee: #24 Stefan Hogarth
Linesman: #11 Matt Rose
Linesman: #23 Lee Young

I'm also playing in the UK Forum All-Stars 2015 in Sheffield representing the Blue Cross for a second year in a row and any donations big or small will be appreciated and you can donate by pressing the button below.
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Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article, Facebook or via Twitter:-
@FrozenSteelBlog
@TomWalkeden
@FrozenSteelMNL
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Check out the Frozen Steel Forum

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Sunday 25 January 2015

Match Report: 24.1.2015 - Steelers v Blaze EC/EIHL


Saturday 24th January 2015 – Sheffield Steelers (20-9-4) v Coventry Blaze (12-22-1) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face-off: 7pm, Erhardt Conference/Elite League

Sheffield Steelers – 2
Cullen Eddy – 1st PP
Jeff Legue – 3rd

Coventry Blaze – 1
Jereme Tendler – 1st

Josh Unice and Tomas Petruska were both at the arena and was both making their debuts and the lines were shaken up slightly, Legue was promoted to play with Dowd and Mosienko, Petruska was thrown on with Forney and Roy straight away and Phillips was back with Hill and Hewitt. It was a good start for the Steelers who were looking to get the puck on net and new signing Josh Unice looked stronger as Blaze were looking to score on the doorstep but the former USA U20 goaltender got the puck covered. It was Coventry who took the lead though at 2:15 when former Steeler Goertzen played in Jereme Tendler down the left, who got his shot off and it looked like Unice had it in his glove but it bounced over him and trickled over the line for a 1-0 lead. Sheffield worked hard and would get there equaliser before the end of the session when at 16:21 Sheffield found themselves on the powerplay and the puck landed on the tape of Cullen Eddy who fired a wicked slap shot that travelled through traffic and into the net and we was tied at 1-1 and that’s how the period finished.
End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 1–1 Coventry Blaze
Shots on Goal: Steelers 9-8 Blaze

It was a goalless second period but a session dominated by the home side both team wasted powerplay opportunities one was a 5 on 3 for the Steelers but Stewart was just outstanding. Josh Unice made his save off the night when #48 skates his way through the Steelers so he was one on one with the Steelers debutant and Unice saved brilliantly with the body to keep the scores level. Brian Stewart was just simply outstanding though for the Blaze has he saved several great chances where it looked certain Sheffield would score but at the end of the second session both teams would go into the dressings rooms all square.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 1–1 Coventry Blaze
Shots on Goal: Steelers 15–5 Blaze

Third period was again dominated by the home side as they had chance after chance out-shooting the visitors 14-2. There was lots of physicality in this game as the Steelers just seem to throw hit after hit and it was side to their game that Sheffield fans had been calling out for weeks. With the clocking ticking down and Brian Stewart just seemed to be saving absolutely everything a save off a short from Forney had a face-off in the Blaze zone with 9 seconds left and the Steelers made it count with just three seconds left on the clock with a goal timed at 59:57 the Steelers moved the puck quickly and it was Legue who was able to get the decisive touch that beat Stewart and it secured a 2-1 win for the Steelers. A massive win for the home side after such poor form, but Blaze defended fantastically but after the Legue goal Brian Stewart who had been brilliant all night lost his cool and seemed to have a big tantrum at his team mates and the officials. However it was two valuable points for the Steelers and next up for them was a trip to Cardiff 24 hours later.
Shots on Goal: Steelers 14–2 Blaze

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 2–1 Coventry Blaze

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Sheffield   - 1-0-1-0-[4]-{1/5}-38
Coventry  - 1-0-0-0-[10]-{0/2}-15

Sheffield Man of the Match: #12 Jeff Legue
Coventry Man of the Match: #41 Brian Stewart

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 6 Points
Cullen Eddy (1+0), Jeff Legue (1+0), Mathieu Roy (0+1), Tyler Mosienko (0+1), Ben O’Connor (0+2)

Coventry Points Round Up: - 2 Points
Steven Goertzen (0+1), Jereme Tendler (1+0)

Referee: #26 Dean Smith
Referee: #14 James Kavanagh
Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth
Linesman: #23 Lee Young

I'm also playing in the UK Forum All-Stars 2015 in Sheffield representing the Blue Cross for a second year in a row and any donations big or small will be appreciated and you can donate by pressing the button just below.
JustGiving - Sponsor me now!
Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article, Facebook or via Twitter:-
@FrozenSteelBlog
@TomWalkeden
@FrozenSteelMNL
@hockeybhoy
@RatedRDG

Check out the 
Frozen Steel Forum

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Saturday 24 January 2015

The Walkeden Review - Steelers Make A Double Swoop


The Sheffield Steelers have made a double signing and they have brought in 25-year-old American Goaltender Josh Unice and 28-Year-Old Slovakian Tomas Petruska.

It has come to the attention that goaltender Frank Doyle has been playing hurt for some time and it has now come to the time where he just can't continue to play anymore so Sheffield made the move for the former #86 overall third round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2007 draft.

It's safe to say that this is a gamble on Unice as he hasn't really had a shot at a professional level, He has had a short stint in Slovakia but it didn't work out well for him only playing in 2 games but at the end of 25 he's still very young. As G said in an interview we aren't going to go out and find another Frank Doyle at the end of January but we had three options open to us and Unice was the strongest of the three. Looking at Josh's stats he has had a very good university career and he's coming here to prove himself. Josh flew to Sheffield on Friday and trained with his new team mates and will start the game on Saturday against Coventry as the Steelers look to pick up their form. Josh has represented USA at U17, U18 and U20 level as well as getting U18 goaltender of the year in 2007 so somebody somewhere rates and I look forward to seeing him in a Steelers Jersey.

After the sacking of Danny Bois on Monday his replacement has come in the shape of highly rated Slovakian forward Tomas Petruska. Petruska is a right-handed shot who has put some big numbers up in Europe however more noticeable is his most recent team Graz 99ers in Austria where in 20 games he's only managed 9 points (4+5) but I think that could be to do with his ice time sometimes you can see a player go to a league they don't know and won't have quite the same impact just because their ice time drops. With Petruska coming to the Steelers and with Fretter possibly still out injured I wouldn't be surprised to see Tomas on the top line along with Forney and Roy but there is a chance Petruska won't feature tonight for the Steelers as he flies into Sheffield Saturday night and if there is any delays he won't be playing but if all goes well and as planned then G is expecting him in the line-up tonight.

Looking at Petruska's honours he had a very successful season last year winning the Danish Cup with Herning as well as making it into the All-Star team. It also looks like he is a man that enjoys the post season for example 2012 he scored 21 points in 13 games (8+13) or in 2013 in 7 relegation games scored 12 points (4+8) and then last season scored 15 points in 12 games (8+7). So it just comes to show that he can put numbers up and I'm sure he will for us hopefully starting tonight.

So welcome to both Josh and Tomas and we wish you all the best in Sheffield and hope you both have a successful stay.

JustGiving - Sponsor me now!I'm also playing in the UK Forum All-Stars 2015 in Sheffield representing the Blue Cross for a second year in a row and any donations big or small will be appreciated and you can donate by pressing the button to the right.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article, Facebook or via Twitter:-
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@FrozenSteelMNL
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Thursday 22 January 2015

The Walkeden Review - So What To Say!


So then! This is going to be a rant - well I’m hoping not - anyway just a few things I want to write about! 

So we seem to have gone on a bit of a slump on Christmas day we was sat top of the elite league table and now we sat in 5th place! Yes we're only 2 points off 2nd place but we're now 7 points off top spot, which is occupied by Braehead, and without bringing the conference problems into it we can say that the Clan have the easier run in. If the Clan go on to win the league though they deserve it so fair play to them. Anyway back to us.

Kings Of The Ice - FSB Unveils Steelkings Coverage


Plans are in motion, and momentum gathering, as the Sheffield Steelkings Sledge Hockey Club get ready for their first season in the Planet Ice Sledge Hockey League.

They recently secured their main sponsor for the season in AMG Superalloys, as well as twinning with the Durham Steelhawks SHC in Ontario.

As part of covering Sheffield hockey, it goes without saying that we will be giving full coverage to the Steelkings, including game reports and live updates on Twitter, wherever possible.

Now it's your turn.

Wednesday 21 January 2015

SIHA Senior Round-up 17th & 18th January 2015


SIHA senior teams both enjoyed success on the road this weekend in what were on paper, tricky games, but ones in that they both put in an awesome performance to secure valuable wins.

Sheffield Senator travelled to Telford to face the Tigers and included new signing Alex Jones in their line up as well as Joe Colton making his senior hockey debut with Matt Croyle in goal in the absence of regular netminders Mark Hartley & Bob Browne. These players did themselves justice as did the whole team to claim an important and deserved 4-2 win. Neither team could quite swing the balance of play their way until Sens scored on 16.42 on the powerplay through Tom Humphries.  Into the second and a positive start from Senators saw their efforts yield another goal when Joel Aheran fired in to make it 2-0 on 22.55. Telford are clearly a talented team and were making Sens work hard, even more so when they scored two great goals to pull it back to 2-2 through Sean Weeks & Bradley Betteridge. Senators still seemed comfortable and largely in control at times but Telford were always a threat which set things up nicely for the final period with the score at 2-2. The final period opened with both teams looking to attack but Sens seemed to settle a bit quicker to take more of a control of things but as before they had to be on their game to keep Telford out but two nice goals from Tom Humphries to see him claim his hat-trick enabled Sens to see the game out to claim two great points with Matt Croyle getting the nod for Senators Man of the Match for his performance between the pipes.

Sheffield Spartans put in a great team performance to seal a memorable win up in Whitley Bay, one which sealed the head to head series against Warriors. Spartans were more than worthy 6-2 winners that now sees them undefeated in their last six league games.
Spartans were on fire in the first period to dominate proceedings and it’s arguable that the score could have been far greater than it was at 4-0 at the end of the first period with goals for Stuart Brittle, Ollie Barron, Nick Manning & Scott Morris.

Whitley, as expected came out fired up and their enthusiasm wasn’t dampened by Ollie Barron making it 5-0 to Spartans. Whitley’s persistence against an in form Brandon Stones in goal along with a well-drilled defence in front of him eventually paid off to see them pull two goals back through Adam Reynolds & Callum Queenan to give them hope in the final period.
Spartans showed character as they played sensible, disciplined and controlled hockey to both snub out Whitley as well as looking to increase their lead. They had the advantage of a good lead but they kept their heads to control the game to both frustrate and deny Warriors who simply couldn’t get back into the game. One which was rounded off with another well worked goal that took advantage of some slack defending whilst on the powerplay scored by Jonathan Kirk to seal a valuable 6-2 win against their play-off rivals

It was a very good performance by Spartans against awkward opponents who weren’t at their best but it has to be said that was down to how Spartans had played and they fully deserved their win in a game in which for large parts they were the much better team. Brandon Stones once again won the Man of the Match beers, one of many good performances on the night.

It was truly a great weekend for both Spartans & Senators in their pursuit of play-off & promotion success and although nothing is certain from these results, they may just well have a bearing on things in weeks to come and they are indeed a reflection of their potential which current form is confirming; as well as driving both teams forward in their pursuit of glory. They both face tricky fixtures again this weekend as Spartans entertain Billingham Stars at Ice Sheffield on Saturday, facing off at 2.15pm whilst Senators travel to face Coventry Blaze.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article, Facebook or via Twitter:-
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SIHA Junior Round-up 17th & 18th January 2015


This week’s SIHA junior round up starts with Greyhounds U16 D2 midweek win over local rivals Sutton. Greyhounds shaded the first period, they certainly created the better chances but found themselves 1-0 down at the end of the first. They went on to dominate the early stages of the second to go 2-1 up with goals from Luke Allen & Henry Prynne-Irwin. However a nice breakaway move was finished off nicely by James Florence to see Sutton draw level. Luke Allen scored again to put Greyhounds in front but they were pegged back once again by Sutton when Ryan Apsley scored a lovely short-handed goal to make it 3-3. The shot count in this period favoured Sheffield greatly but they couldn’t make the most of them against spirited opponents however some nice play was finished off by Callum McNeill late in the period to give Greyhounds a deserved edge going into the final period 4-3 in front. The final period was a lot closer in what was an end to end game that could have gone either way. It was Greyhounds that found a way through to go 5-3 up when Gabriel Grzibovskis scored up but once again Sutton wouldn’t lie down and hit back with another well worked goal to see James Florence pull one back. In what was a tight & tense finish to the game Sheffield went onto the penalty kill but a great goal from Luke Allen, his hat-trick goal, to give Greyhounds a clear advantage at 6-4 with just 80 seconds remaining of the game, which they saw out to claim a good win in what was an excellent game of hockey played out by both teams who deserve praise.

On Saturday it was the turn of Sabres U14 D2 who maintained their 100% win record with a fine 8-2 victory over a stubborn Blackburn team that pushed the Sabres all the way. There wasn’t a great deal between the two teams in the first but goals from Ben O’Brien & Ben Crowther put the Sheffield team in the driving seat. Blackburn continued to battle away and got their just rewards with a nice goal but this was countered by another Ben O’Brien goal to make it 3-1 to Sabres who finished the period strongly but were slightly guilty of not making their late dominance count. This was not the case in the final period when Sabres stepped it up to score through Ross Macpherson, Luke Watson, Ben Crowther & Oliver Keeling to make it 7-1 but Blackburn never gave up and scored another decent goal to pull it back to 7-2 before Dylan Abbett finished the game off with his goal to see Sabres win 8-2 and sit at the top of their table two points in front of Nottingham.

Following on from this game, Greyhounds U16 D2 secured a fine 7-1 win over Grimsby Redwings to see them maintain their 100% win record to also sit at the top of their table 8 points in front of second placed Blackpool who have played a couple of games less.

On Sunday it was the turn of Swampfrogs U12 D2 to face Grimsby Redwings and they turned in a solid performance to run out as deserved 6-2 winners. Steelhawks U18 D1 faced a tricky test away to Telford but came away with a credible 6-4 win. Goals from Joe Colton, Ben Jones & Finlay Ulrick gave Steelhawks a solid 3-0 win but a late delayed penalty goal saw Telford pull it back to 3-1 at the end of the first. A quick fire Telford goal was countered by two Sheffield goals, scored by Finaly Ulrick & Joe Colton to make it 5-2. Things got even better for Steelhawks when Joe Colton made it 6-2 with his hat-trick goal going into the final period. Telford did their best to get back into the game and to their credit pulled two goals back but Steelhawks were not to be outdone on the day and saw the game out for a fine 6-4 victory.

Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article, Facebook or via Twitter:-
@FrozenSteelBlog
@TomWalkeden
@FrozenSteelMNL
@hockeybhoy
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Monday 19 January 2015

This is not meant to be a rant but....



I am not one for ranting, but the time has to come to get up on that soapbox and get a few things off my chest. The majority of this was in my subconscious mind whilst I slept after the disappointing result from Dundee had come through. Obviously I have to rethink a certain part of it after an event which broke just a matter of a few minutes ago; but the rest of remains intact. Time to be rarely outspoken, whether you agree or not is entirely down to you....I don't expect everyone out there to nod their heads and say you're right Mark - 100 per cent.

Match Report: 18.1.2015 - Stars v Steelers EIHL


Sunday 18th January 2015 – Dundee Stars (9-22-3) v Sheffield Steelers (20-9-3) @ Dundee Ice Arena. Face-off: 6:30pm, Elite League

Dundee Stars – 3
Igor Gongalsky – 1st
Kevin Quick – 2nd

Sheffield Steelers – 2
Jeff Legue – 2nd
Tyler Mosienko – 3rd

Dundee started the game in very fast paced as they scored early on at 1:22 when from the blue line Igor Gongalsky managed to get a shot off that went through traffic and managed to beat Doyle down low for a 1-0 lead. Sheffield like they hadn’t been for week just wasn’t themselves and Dowd tried to get his team going when he dropped the gloves with the Stars goal scorer, both managed to land a few punches then looked for the takedown and with the officials trying to break them up punches carried on flying. Sheffield couldn’t break through Cheverie and Dundee took a 1-0 lead into the break.
End of the 1st Period: Dundee Stars 1–0 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Stars 9-8 Steelers

Second period got underway and again Sheffield were slow out of the traps as they allowed Dundee to score their second of the game at 21:59, when Lust managed to play in Quick at the backdoor he managed to tip the puck past Doyle and suddenly it was 2-0 to the home side. Sheffield head coach Adams changed a few players around as Legue and Bois swapped lines and it seemed to give the Steelers a kick start. The visitors started to get more and more chances and eventually pulled a goal back at 30:44 when assisted by Forney and Roy it was that old fan favourite Jeff Legue that brought the Steelers within one goal and suddenly the Steelers had life. Sheffield couldn’t pull any more goals back in the second session and Dundee went into the break 2-1 up.
End of the 2nd Period: Dundee Stars 2–1 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Stars 8–9 Steelers

The third period was completely dominated by the visitors as like the night before they threw everything including the kitchen sink at Marc Cheverie and couldn’t find any more than an equaliser that came at 57:31 with the clock ticking down Hay fired one on goal from the blue line that deflected through traffic and Dundee struggled to clear their zone and Tyler Mosienko tapped in on the door step and it was 2-2 and the game was going to overtime.
End of the 3rd Period: Dundee Stars 2-2 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Stars 5–18 Steelers

Five minutes of overtime like the night before and it was dominated by the Steelers as they outshot the Stars 7-1, Sheffield had a golden chance to win it as Jonathan Phillips was taken out on the attack and was awarded a penalty shot but Cheverie was outstanding and helped them too the shoot out where Cheverie saved the attempts of Dowd, Mosienko and Forney and Sean Ringrose scored past Doyle for Dundee and it was the home side that took the extra point and it was just a two point weekend for the Steelers.
End of Overtime: Dundee Stars 2-2 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Stars 1-7 Steelers


FINAL SCORE: Dundee Stars 3–2 Sheffield Steelers SO

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-SO-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Dundee    - 1-1-0-0-1-[9]-{0/3}-24
Sheffield  - 0-1-1-0-0-[13]-{0/1}-42

Dundee Man of the Match: #39 Marc Cheverie
Sheffield Man of the Match: #1 Frank Doyle

Dundee Points Round Up: - 5 Points
Shane Lust (0+1), Igor Gongalsky (1+0), Kevin Quick (1+0), Sean Ringrose (0+1), Jeff Hutchins (0+1)

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 4 Points
Jeff Legue (1+0), Michael Forney (0+1), Mathieu Roy (0+1), Tyler Mosienko (1+0)

Referee: #16 Toby Craig
Referee:
Linesman: #47 Gregor Mizen
Linesman: #18 Alan Ward
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Sunday 18 January 2015

5 Things The Steelers Need To Do


Normally, the weekend version of 5 Things is a look back at what we learnt in the weekend just passed. Not tonight. Allow me to indulge a little.

Here, I shall try to represent the common or garden Steelers fan, given the chance to give the team talk in the dressing room. Not as a coach - what I would say to them, as a fan, as a paying customer.


Match Report: 17.1.2015 - Steelers v Giants EC/EIHL


Saturday 17th January 2015 – Sheffield Steelers (20-9-2) v Belfast Giants (20-10-2) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face-off: 7pm, Erhardt Conference/Elite League

Sheffield Steelers – 0

Belfast Giants – 1

Sheffield v Belfast at the Motorpoint on the Saturday night. There wasn’t anything separating the two teams as the officials didn’t have a lot to do as Belfast got two power plays and didn’t manage a goal. Sheffield got three chances on the man advantage and again couldn’t break the deadlock. Sheffield threw absolutely everything at Belfast including the kitchen sink, despite getting several lucky bounces in the 1st period Carsen Chubak was just outstanding for the whole 65 minutes as was Frank Doyle as both netminders managed to score a shutout and it was 0-0 all the way to the shoot-out.

Into the shoot-out it went all three rounds as Mike Kompon was the only scorer for the Giants, then Forney, Roy and Mosienko all missed for the Steelers and it was the Giants who took the extra point and it was just the one point for the home side.

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 0–1 Belfast Giants SO

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-SO-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Sheffield  - 0-0-0-0-0-[4]-{0/3}-38
Belfast     - 0-0-0-0-1-[6]-{0/2}-32

Sheffield Man of the Match: #19 Rodney Sarich
Belfast Man of the Match: #1 Carsen Chubak

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 0 Points

Belfast Points Round Up: - 0 Points

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks
Referee: #6 Matt Thompson
Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth
Linesman: #23 Lee Young
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Saturday 17 January 2015

So where's the Monteith Bowl going?



Two months to go and the season finishes again. It's been an eventful campaign for all, both at the top and bottom of the table. Some teams have overachieved, some have underachieved. That's how it really goes in hockey world. Even the NHL teams have seasons where they are brilliant one moment, but absolutely dire the next. So where is the Monteith Bowl, or as some call it, the Elite League title going to head in 2015? Watch and read...

Thursday 15 January 2015

Match Report: 14.1.2015 - Steelers v Stars CC


Wednesday 14th January 2015 – Sheffield Steelers (7-1-1) v Dundee Stars (3-6-0) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face-off: 7:30pm, Challenge Cup Quarter-Final 2nd Leg

Sheffield Steelers – 11 (14)
Darrell Hay – 1st
Mark Thomas – 1st
Michael Forney (4) – 1st, 2nd, 3rdPP, 3rd PP
Robert Dowd (2) – 2nd, 2nd
Gord Baldwin – 3rd
Phil Hill – 3rd
Luke Ferrara – 3rd

Dundee Stars – 1 (1)
Ryan Grimshaw – 2nd

Second leg of the Quarter-final as Dundee travelled to Sheffield with just 12 skaters and they would be in for one long game and it started at 3:48 when Darrell Hay scored the first of the night when he fired a shot from the blue line that went through traffic and beat Marc Cheverie at his left hand post. Would soon be 2-0 at 6:54 and it was Mark Thomas who had waited nearly three years for a goal and two come along in a week and what a goal it was as he fired a bullet from the blue line through traffic once again and Cheverie was beaten. Mark Thomas almost had a second goal as he shot one off the post but in the next attack Steelers made it 3-0 at 18:52 when Mathieu Roy was in front of goal and he fed Forney who simply finished at Cheverie’s right hand post to end his goal drought and Sheffield took a 6-0 aggregate lead into the break.
End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers (6) 3–0 (0) Dundee Stars
Shots on Goal: Steelers 13-6 Stars

Second period got underway and Sheffield didn’t hang around when Mosienko managed to get his shot away in front of goal but Cheverie made the save but left a rebound that Dowd simply finished into the open goal at 22:29 for 4-0. Dundee did manage to pull a goal back though and snap the shutout when former Steelers Chris Blight rounded the goal and played Ryan Grimshaw who finished from the right hand circle at 30:43 bringing the visitors within three goals but it was downhill from there. Dowd scored his second of the night to make it 5-1 at 31:57 and it was on the delayed penalty and after good link up play by Mosienko and Phillips it left Dowd to finish from in front of goal from just two yards out. That was the end of Marc Cheverie’s night and he was replaced by Craig Holland who made a few decent saves and was very quickly beaten when Forney was able to score his second of the night when he had the puck on the point before firing a nicely placed snap shot that beat Holland down low at 33:30 and Sheffield had a 6-1 lead on the night and was taking a 9-1 lead on aggregate in the break.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers (9) 6–1 (1) Dundee Stars
Shots on Goal: Steelers 13–9 Stars

With the game don’t and dusted Gerad Adams put the cruise control and let his players do the talking. Forney score his hat-trick goal at 44:10 and it was a second into the powerplay as Steelers top scorer finished top shelf from the left of Howard. At Gerad Adams pulled Frank Doyle and put in Andy Jaszczyk at 47:45 and what a reception Yak got by the home faithful. Sheffield were given a 5 on 3 power play for two minutes and certainly made it count when Forney scored his fourth of the game when he fired a slap shot from the point into the empty net as Holland was no to be seen for 8-1 at 49:56 and within 19 seconds it was 9-1 when still on the man advantage Gord Baldwin beat Holland from the blue line. Dundee couldn’t keep Sheffield out and Phil Hill scored the tenth of the night at 50:54 when unassisted Hills shot was saved by Holland before he scored the rebound. At 57:40 young Luke Ferrara finished the nights scoring off when assisted by Dowd and Hewitt he found himself in front of goal before tapping in on the doorstep and Sheffield would win on the night 11-1 but taking a 14-1 aggregate win to move onto the semi-finals to take on Nottingham and to sum the night up it got even better when Yak managed to get man of the match.
Shots on Goal: Steelers 14–14 Stars

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers (14) 11–1 (1) Dundee Stars

Boxscore (1st-2nd-3rd-OT-[PIM]-{PP}-S)
Sheffield   - 3-3-5-0-[2]-{3/3}-40
Dundee    - 0-1-0-0-[6]-{0/1}-28

Sheffield Man of the Match: #33 Andy Jaszczyk
Dundee Man of the Match: #12 Chris Blight

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 30 Points
Gord Baldwin (1+0), Michael Forney (4+1), Mathieu Roy (0+4), Jason Hewitt (0+1), Rodney Sarich (0+1), Jonathan Phillips (0+1), Tyler Mosienko (0+2), Phil Hill (1+1), Luke Ferrara (1+0), Mark Thomas (1+0), Danny Bois (0+1), Colton Fretter (0+3), Darrell Hay (1+1), Robert Dowd (2+2), Ben O’Connor (0+1)

Dundee Points Round Up: - 2 Points
Ryan Grimshaw (1+0), Chris Blight (0+1)

Referee: #28 Jonny Liptrott
Referee: #10 Neil Wilson
Linesman: #30 Luke Palmer
Linesman: #31 Ally Flockhart
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Thanks for reading guys. Any questions or comments please get in contact with the Frozen Steel Team on this article, Facebook or via Twitter:-
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Tuesday 13 January 2015

SIHA Junior Round-up 10th & 11th January 2015


This weekend’s SIHA Junior round up starts with Sheffield Laser U12 D1 who recorded a convincing 13-1 win over Hull to maintain their 100% win record. Hull made life difficult at times in the opening period with some good defending and an inform netminder keeping them in the game. It was Hull who actually took the lead through Oliver Peers when a clearance from their zone eluded the Sheffield netminder at the final moment as he went to block the puck to see it go under his stick and under his body. Lasers responded positively with a goal from Lewis Gibson from which they piled the pressure onto Hull but couldn’t find a way through until the final minute when Ross Macpherson & Callum Field scored to see Lasers in front 3-1 at the first period break.

Lasers notched it up another gear to see the second period out on top with four more goals with the pick being Callum Field’s nice backhanded chip across the face of the goal into the top right corner with Will Szollosy, Ross Macpherson & Luke Clare the other scorers.

Hull deserve praise for battling away but they were simply no match for Lasers in the final period with Callum Field grabbing his hat-trick to make it 8-1. Will Szollosy made it 9-1 with a lovely goal, taking his chance really well too in the process which was followed by another couple of goals for Callum Field to make it 11-1. Ross Macpherson did well to put his chance away to notch his hat-trick with Tate Shudra on hand to pick up on a rebound to score what was to be the final goal of the game to see Lasers win 13-1 to consolidate their position at the top of the table.

After a frustrating midweek 2-2 draw against Sutton who had come back from 2-0 down after Tyler Nixon & Tom Palmer had put them in front, Stormers U14 D1 were keen to get back to winning ways against Hull. They got off to a great start with Tyler Nixon & Tom Palmer once again on the score sheet with Sam Colton adding a third in what was a competitive game against hard working opponents.

Hull fought their way back into the game with a couple of goals and it became a little scrappy as both teams tried to assert themselves but frustrations boiled over which wasn’t helped at all by some inconsistent officiating. However Stormers gained the upper hand when Alex Ibrahim made it 4-2 at the end of the second.

Tempers flared in the final period which was an overspill of the previous period with the officials at times struggling to keep control but hockey did break out to see Stormers finish the much stronger of the two teams which saw Tyler Nixon add two more with another for Alex Ibrahim to make it 7-2. Sam Colton grabbed his second of the game with a well taken powerplay goal to see Stormers bag what was in the end a deserved 8-2 win which now sees them sit at the top of their league table.

Scorpions U18 D2 travelled to Grimsby but came unstuck 5-2 in what was a competitive game but one in which Grimsby were the better team and were worthy of their 4-0 lead. Sheffield battled to get back into the game and an Ethan Hardy goal gave them a little hope but Grimsby made it 5-1 to make sure of the win but Jack Brain did pull another back for Scorpions to make the final score 5-2 in Grimsby’s favour. Special mention for Josh Aheran who had an interesting game by accidently (we hope) firing the puck in Coach Paul Harding’s face as well as accidently sticking the referee in the lower regions and also grabbing an assist…on that note, I will conclude this weekend’s round up on the juniors!

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Monday 12 January 2015

FSB Editorial - What Exactly Is Going Wrong


I know some of the reaction in the past three weeks may seem like an overreaction, and it may well have been, but we've gone from looking ridiculously strong to ridiculously weak in the space of 5 games.

Signs of a potential weakness were evident throughout December, but they showed themselves clear as day from Boxing Day onwards.

We haven't just become a bad team overnight though. There's a few things that aren't working right now though.

SIHA Senior Round-up 10th &11th January 2015


This weekend’s SIHA senior round up reflects on both the Spartans and Senators who shared three home games this weekend recording a win, draw and a loss between them in three excellent games of hockey.

Sheffield Spartans were first up and once again left kicking their heels in frustration after last minute goals denied them what would have been a deserved victory against Whitley Warriors on Saturday.
In what was an end to end first period neither team could break the deadlock with both teams creating good chances but arguably the better ones fell to Spartans who will feel they should have done better with a couple of them at least, which would have seen them in front. However it was 0-0 with all to play for in the second.

Spartans had Warriors on the back foot for the opening minutes of the period and will again feel that they should have made more of their pressure and chances but Whitley soaked up the pressure to then counter and enjoy a good spell of possession in which they gained the upper hand and were unfortunate not to take the lead themselves. Spartans hit back when a nice play out of defence saw Ross Jordan find Ollie Barron who took his chance well to put Spartans in front on 29.25. Spartans were on top of their game and extended their lead when Stuart Brittle scored on 33.06 from Ollie Barron & Elliott Knell. They didn’t have things their own way though as Whitley were fighting hard to get back into the game and it took some sound netminding from Brandon Stones to ensure Spartans went into the period break with their two goals lead intact but deservedly so.

Spartans had been the better team to this point but the final period was initially more evenly balanced with chances for both teams but it was Warriors who gave themselves a leg up back into the game when Scott Cooper fired home a powerplay goal, the result of a dubious decision against Nick Whyatt for holding, which was timed 44.10 with assists to DJ Good & Callum Watson. Spartans responded well to the goal and Whitley were grateful to Richard Lawson in their goal for some fine saves to keep them in the game but he couldn’t do anything about Stevie Weeks goal timed 51.11; a powerplay goal with a cracker of a shot from the blue line that took a slight deflection past Lawson with assists to Scott Morris & Dougie Jordan. It was with some relief as Warriors were just starting to gain the upper hand but they weren’t beaten and hit back hard at Spartans, even more so when they pulled their netminder with just under four minutes remaining but Spartans defence were unshakable and were seeing the game out well until Ollie Barron was called for tripping, rather harshly it has to be said on 59.10. Warriors won possession from the face off to score a well worked goal timed 59.23, scored DJ Good, assisted Dean Holland & Simon Leach. Thankfully Spartans won possession as the clock ticked down and with several options available, including maintaining possession the puck was gifted to Whitley who shot the puck on goal and were quicker to react to actually hit the puck into the net when it should have realistically been cleared. Jamie Tinsley was the scorer with assists on the goal to Adam Reynolds & Dean Holland to see Warriors claim what had looked like at one point, an unlikely point, with the final score 3-3.

Sheffield Senators push for promotion continued with two good performances but differing results this weekend at Ice Sheffield.

Solihull Barons maintained their 100% record but didn’t have things their own way in recording a 6-2 victory. They punished Sens with two goals in the first two minutes through Joe Henry & Tom Soar. With a two goal lead Barons were able to play a more relaxed game and were making Senators work hard who looked a little disjointed at times but they battled away against quality position who finished off a nice move late on in the period to go three up with Ryan Selwood the scorer with a shot that seemed to take a slight deflection past Bobby Browne in Sens goal; however it was a good goal to see Barons firmly in control.

Senators turned things round in the second period with a gritty performance to outsmart their opponents but unfortunately they couldn’t outscore them which were mainly down to the once again impressive and inform Josh Nicholls in Barons goal. Charlie Thompson popped one in from Luke Smith & Cam King on 26.01 with was followed 15 seconds later by Josh Gent who finished superbly after being set up by Tom Humphries & Nathan Britton to go into the final period just 3-2 down.
The final period saw a pretty even contest but Solihull swung it their way with a Richard Slater goal timed 43.25 to make it 4-2. Senators tried desperately to get back into the game but just couldn’t quite find that elusive touch to get back into the game against a Barons team that were always a threat. With just over 2 minutes left Sens pulled their netminder to try and salvage a point but a nice move from Barons was finished off by Andrew Whitehouse to make the game safe. They had the final say with another goal approaching the final minute through Rob Eley to make the final score 6-2 in their favour which was harsh on Senators and didn’t really do them justice but it can’t be denied the better team won who on the day had that bit more class to take the points.

There was no hangover from the previous night as Senators put in a competent performance to run out deserved winners against a hard working Widnes Wild. In a first period that was spoilt by some over fussy reffing Sens scored two late goals to cancel out Wild’s opener that was scored by Lee Pollitt, a good goal too but whilst on the penalty kill they couldn’t stop Sens going 2-1 in front with a Tom Humphries brace.

Senators were in determined mood to maintain their advantage and were the better of the two teams but were sent a few warning shots from Widnes who can be dangerous opponents on their day but with Sens fully focused they couldn’t force their way back in to the game. However, Sens only managed to put one past a stubborn defence, a good goal it was too put away by Tom Proctor timed 35.57, finishing off from a lovely pass from Charlie Thompson to see Sens 3-1 up going into the final period.

With a two goal advantage Senators played some sensible hockey to frustrate Widnes who, as expected, never gave up but Sens were always in control and went onto to win comfortably in the end as Josh Gent & Tom Humphries with his hat-trick goal sealed a fine 5-1 win cement their 3rd place spot in the league with automatic promotion now becoming an ever increasing likelihood.

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