This Month In Steelers History - January 2015

Thank you to Robert Newbolt for his contribution to FSB, All Credit for this piece goes to him so any queries you can contact Robert on Twitter @NewboltRobert

The story so far: click here: http://frozensteel.proboards.com/thread/206/month-sheffield-steelers-history

JANUARY 1995 (20 yrs)

By the end of the second week in January, Steelers had brought Nottingham Panthers’ 21-match unbeaten run to an end and were sharing top of the league spot with them.

In January Priestlay scored two goals against Panthers in a fixture that got the Steelers back into the title race. The Stanley Cup winner’s last goal started behind his own net, skating the length of the ice to score one of the goals.

However, Steelers came back from the brink in this game going behind after they lost a 6-1 lead. In an 18 minute spell Panthers scored six times but a last gasp display sent 9,300 away happy.

Tim Cranston opened the scoring with a couple and with Nemeth and Priestlay scoring freely a rout looked certain. But with Steelers nothing is certain, and Panthers took the lead in the third period. But Nemeth and then Millie evened things up and after a time out a classic Ron Shudra first-timer hit the roof of the net with only a minute to go.

This was Ken Priestlay’s first Nottingham game and he was ear-marked for some big hits from opponents: but he brushed it off. In fact, in his maiden press interview, he said “It was easy compared to some games in Philadelphia for instance! I can look after myself, I’ll be fine.”

The night previous to this they thumped Milton Keynes Kings 9-2. Priestlay was among eight different scorers the others coming from Tim Cranston, twice, Wilson, Neil, Nemeth, Millie, Plommer and, not to be out done, Ron Shudra.

There chalked up 21 goals in their remaining three league games that month.

Then came the Castle Eden Cup; a cup competition played between Northern-most sides, the likes of Durham Wasps, Humberside Seahawks and Whitley Warriors.

The last game of the month featured the semi final of this competition between Sheffield Steelers and Whitley Warriors.

Sheffield were out and out favourites, but were beaten 3-2 on penalties after Whitley levelled in the last minute of normal time: Steelers failed on all five penalty shots whilst Whitley converted their first.

JANUARY 2000 (15 yrs)

I this month one of the games was against the Bracknell Bees at the arena when they beat Sheffield by the odd goal in an 11 goal encounter, highlights of which are shown here.

Record for the month W5 L4 Tied 1

JANUARY 2005 (10yrs)

By the end of January, amid rumours of dressing room unrest and fans’ discontent, Steelers finally lost patience with coach Rob Stewart who was sacked after successive defeats home and away to Cardiff.

It was a dismal month as they lost six games and crashed out of the Challenge Cup to Cardiff in the semi-final.

Record for this month W3 L6 T 1

JANUARY 2010 (5 YRS)

It was announced Scott Basiuk was fit and ready to return to action in early January after being side-lined through injury, this meant the club would have to release an import to make room for Basiuk to return to fit their budget, Randy Daganais was looking like the likely candidate to be cut from the Steelers Roster after it emerged earlier in the season he had been told he could leave the club after Joe Dustin was drafted in to replace him until Dustin received a late injury. However, it emerged Stephen Wood would leave the club due to personal issues back in the United States.

The Steelers returned to France to compete in the finals of the Continental Cup. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IIHF_Continental_Cup_2010

They came away with a bronze medal and a win over the home side.

Hopes were high after a big 5-2 win over Grenoble HC in the opener but teams from Austria (Red Bull Salzburg) and Belarus (Yunost Minsk) proved too strong.

Despite being disappointed with aspects of his side's two defeats, Steelers' head coach Matsos was full of pride in his players.

"We made some mistakes that cost us badly in the two games we lost out here," said Matsos.

"However, when you look back you can't have anything other than a huge sense of achievement in what we did just being out here.

"We came over here with many questioning our right to take part in an event like this. But we turned some heads, we acted with great professionalism and we come home with our heads held high and with a great deal of pride."

Afterwards, Steelers GM, Mike O'Connor, paid tribute to his players who he felt had to contend with some questionable officiating.

"Some of the penalties we deserved, but others had us shaking our heads," said O'Connor. "When you are short benched as much as we were you are always going to be up against it.

"They have such a big bench, such a big budget and such good players. We are disappointed at some of the calls that were made against us; it made an already tough job even harder.

"Our players worked so hard but seemed up against everything and everyone from the get go - it's a huge opportunity for the club and our league to make a mark on European hockey."

Back home, things went from bad to worse. A 5–2 home defeat at the hands of the Hull Stingrays in the league was the low point, the first time the Stingrays had beaten Sheffield in Sheffield in the club's history, a performance coach Matsos labelled as 'the most embarrassing performance he had witnessed' as the head coach of the club. He promised more Roster changes to improve the team, and also stated in the local media he hoped the club bosses would keep him around a little longer as he would turn things round.

There were nine losses in total in the league even though they did show signs of quality at times: the 8-0 drubbing of Edinburgh being a case in point.

They did manage to score a total of 33 goals but conceded 38

This was not a good month to watch Sheffield.

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