5 Things We Learnt This Weekend - 28th & 29th March 2015

Thank you to Tony for his contribution to FSB, All Credit for this piece goes to him so any queries you can contact Tony on Twitter @DISGU15ED

So what five hockey things did we learn this weekend?

1> The final four have been decided - If you had your money on the Blaze, Giants, Stingrays and Steelers you can afford to get on eBay and buy those spare Panthers block tickets that have suddenly become available.

2> Flights and Taxi's have been booked in Dundee for many weeks - Now bookings have been taken from Edinburgh, Fife, Nottingham, Braehead and Cardiff. Turn off the lights if you're the last one out of the rink won't you.

3> Who is going to be sacrificed at the Panthers? - Sexy Neilson hockey is a distant memory for those who have been lifelong fans for the last two years, and it's odds on that we'll not be seeing him again in 2015/16. The Cage is having a bit of a meltdown - bless 'em.

4> Will Roy make the big 100? - Currently on 98 Points according to the Elite League website, and although I guess he doesn't care, it would be a nice milestone for the IHJUK Player of the year.

5> GB forwards - Dowdy and Peacock banging them in at the business end of the season - who will finish top of that table (and why isn't Craig going to Eindhoven?)

Two more wins guys - first up are the Rays #YorkshirePlayoffs2015

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29.3.15 - Playoff Quarter-Final Talk Show

Quarter-Final 2nd Leg at the Motorpoint Arena, Steelers v Flyers, Tom, Alan and Mark spoke about it.

listen to ‘29.3.15 Playoff Quarter Final Steelers vs Flyers Pregame’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘29.3.15 Playoff Quarter Final Steelers vs Flyers End of First’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘29.3.15 Playoff Quarter Final Steelers vs Flyers End of Second’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘29.3.15 Playoff Quarter Final Steelers vs Flyers End of Game’ on audioBoom

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Match Report: 29.3.2015 - Steelers v Flyers PLAYOFFS

Sunday 29^th March 2015 – Sheffield Steelers (1-0) v Fife Flyers (0-1) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face-off: 5pm, EIHL Playoff Quarter-Final 2^nd Leg

Sheffield Steelers – 3 (6)

Mathieu Roy - 1st

Robert Dowd (2) - 1st, 2nd

Fife Flyers – 3 (5)
Stephen Gunn - 2nd

Jordan Fulton - 3rd

Danny Stewart - 3rd

Second leg of the playoff quarter-final and Steelers started fast at 1:18 Mathieu Roy fired a brilliant shot from the point and the puck went straight through Regan for 1-0 lead.  Sheffield made it 2-0 at 14:32 when Mosienko won a faceoff to Regan’s left and straight off the draw Dowd fired a one timer past Regan for his second of the playoffs and suddenly Fife had a mountain to climb. Sheffield had a chance to score a third when they broke 3v1 but Regan managed to deny the home side and Steelers went into the break 2-0 up on the night.

End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers (5) 2–0 (2) Fife Flyers

Shots on Goal: Steelers 10-7 Flyers

Into the second period and it was a really turning into a good series as there was end to end hockey with lots of physicality and both teams really wanted to make it to Nottingham. Sheffield made it 3-0 at 32:20 when Robert Dowd was picked out in between the circles and fired a nicely taken snap shot past Regan. The visitors broke the shut-out bid at 36:37 when it looked like Stephen Gunn in front of Unice managed to get a tip on the puck to make it 3-1 to the home side and that’s how it stayed going into the break.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers (6) 3–1 (3) Fife Flyers

Shots on Goal: Steelers 12–9 Flyers

Fife really made a game of it in the third period scoring their second of the night at 48:40 when Flyers broke down the left and the shot looked like it deflected off a skate and past Unice, didn’t look deliberate so a good goal and Jordan Fulton was credited with the goal to make it 3-2. Almost straight away Chris Auger hit a one timer out of mid-air against the post and Sheffield was really shaken. At 54:55 Flyers levelled the game and straight off the draw Danny Stewart dragged the puck onto the blue line and then shot through traffic beating Unice and we had a 3-3 game but Fife were still down a goal on aggregate. Sheffield managed to hold on winning the tie 6-5 on aggregate and booking a place in the playoff finals weekend in Nottingham but credit has to go to the Fife Flyers who didn’t give up but unfortunately someone has to get knocked out.
Shots on Goal: Steelers 9–16 Flyers

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers (6) 3–3 (5) Fife Flyers

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

Sheffield - 2-1-0-0-[6]-{0/3}-31

Fife          - 0-1-2-0-[22]-{0/0}-32

Sheffield Man of the Match: #75 Robert Dowd

Fife Man of the Match: #39 Danny Stewart

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 7 Points

Michael Forney (0+1), Mathieu Roy (1+0), Jonathan Phillips (0+1), Tyler Mosienko (0+1), Dustin Kohn (0+1), Robert Dowd (2+0)

Fife Points Round Up: - 6 Points

Thomas Muir (0+1), Stephen Gunn (1+0), Jordan Fulton (1+0), Danny Stewart (1+1), Chris Auger (0+1)

Referee: #19 Rab Cowan

Referee: #16 Toby Craig

Linesman: #30 Luke Palmer

Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth

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.

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Match Report: 28.3.2015 - Flyers v Steelers PLAYOFFS

Saturday 28^th March 2015 – Fife Flyers (0-0) v Sheffield Steelers (0-0) @ Fife Ice Arena. Face-off: 7:15pm, EIHL Playoff Quarter-Final 1^st Leg

Fife Flyers – 2

Jamie Milam - 2^nd

Ned Lukacevic - 3^rd

Sheffield Steelers – 3
Michael Forney - 2^nd

Colton Fretter - 2^nd

Robert Dowd - 3^rd

Steelers travelled up to Kirkcaldy for their quarter-final 1^st leg and really had to weather the storm in the 1^st period as the atmosphere was just so intimidating and the home side really fed of it but Unice was just outstanding all game and both teams went into the break all square.

End of the 1st Period: Fife Flyers 0–0 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Flyers 6-2 Steelers

Fife opened the scoring at 27:03 when nice move by Jordan Fulton was finished off by Jamie Milam at the back door to make it 1-0 and there wasn’t really anything Unice could have done to prevent the goal. The lead didn’t last too long though as Steelers levelled at 28:53 when Michael Forney was inside the face-off circle to the left of Regan and he fired low beating Regan assisted by Kohn and Hay. Sheffield took the lead at 37:41 when Mathieu Roy picked up the puck in the neutral zone and skating into the Fife zone laying off Colton Fretter who fired a sweet snapshot past Regan for 2-1. Sheffield managed to hold on taking a 2-1 lead into the 2^nd intermission.
End of the 2nd Period: Fife Flyers 1–2 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Flyers 12–10 Steelers

In the third period it was real end to end stuff with both keepers having to make exceptional saves the pick of the bunch coming from Josh Unice who managed to save down low from Fulton at the back door when the flyers man looked certain to score. Fife levelled the scores at 2-2 at 54:20 when Ned Lukacevic was picked out in between the circles finishing low from in front of Josh Unice but the home side couldn’t hold on and at 59:26 assisted by Roy and Eddy it was Robert Dowd that got the decisive touch that beat Regan and won the game for the Steelers with them taking a 1 goal lead into the 2^nd leg.
Shots on Goal: Flyers 8–8 Steelers

FINAL SCORE: Fife Flyers 2–3 Sheffield Steelers

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

Fife           - 0-1-1-0-[0]-{0/0}-26

Sheffield - 0-2-1-0-[0]-{0/0}-20

Fife Man of the Match: #60 Jamie Milam

Sheffield Man of the Match: #75 Robert Dowd

Fife Points Round Up: - 4 Points

Ned Lukacevic (1+0), Matt Reber (0+1), Jordan Fulton (0+1), Jamie Milam (1+0)

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 8 Points

Cullen Eddy (0+1), Michael Forney (1+0), Mathieu Roy (0+2), Dustin Kohn (0+1), Colton Fretter (1+0), Darrell Hay (0+1), Robert Dowd (1+0)

Referee: #9 Tom Darnell

Referee: #16 Toby Craig

Linesman: #31 Ally Flockhart

Linesman: #25 Andy Dalton

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.

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Weekend Preview - Flyers (h) Flyers (a) (PLAYOFFS)

EIHL Playoff Quarter-Finals it is then and then EIHL Champions travel to Fife on Saturday before coming back to Sheffield for the return leg on Sunday Evening.

Sheffield will be without Goaltenders Frank Doyle and Geoff Woolhouse, Doyle’s season and most probably his career is 100% over as for Geoff there hasn’t been an update on him but I expect him to sit out for the rest of the season but he may yet backup Unice. Tomas Petruska I believe had an operation the day of the final regular season game hence why he wasn’t at the arena during the Championship celebrations. Gord Baldwin who has missed the last month through concussion that he picked up at Hull is one I’m not sure on as again there hasn’t been an update on him so he may feature in the playoffs I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Luke Ferrara who played the Steelers last two games I expect him to be with Peterborough especially with their playoff games this weekend but everyone else is available for the Steelers.

Fife are near enough full strength for the quarter-final only missing Kyle Horne through an upper body injury but they have already been without Horne for around a month.

There is a webcast from both games this weekend for the game in Fife go to http://www.247.tv/eihl/ and for the game in Sheffield go to https://sheffieldsteelers.tv/ both cost £8 I believe and it’s a game you don’t want to be missing. If you have plans and you’re out both Tom and Alan will be in Fife on Saturday as well as at the Arena on Sunday so follow them both @TomWalkeden and @FrozenSteelMNL for your play by play updates.

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SIHA Academy Preview - 28th/29th March 2015

Thank you to Phil Holden for his contribution to FSB, All Credit for this piece goes to him so any queries you can contact Phil on Twitter @PhilSlice

The pick of this weekend’s SIHA action has to be Spartans game against Sutton Sting facing off at Ice Sheffield on Saturday at 7.00pm. In what will be the final game of the regular season there’s all to play for, for both teams, with the outcome of the game set to determine who secures the final pay-off spot in Dumfries. In what are normally close, tense games the battle for the play-offs adds that little spice to a strong but friendly rivalry between the two teams but there will be no love lost come face-off time. Spartans currently occupy 4^th position in the table, one point ahead of Sutton so need to avoid defeat to make the play-offs whereas a win will only suffice for Sting. It promises to be a cracker of a game and one you don’t want to miss!

Senators, our other senior team are also in action for their final home game of the season against Coventry Blaze facing off at 12.45pm. Sens, who have only suffered one defeat since the turn of the New Year will be keen to maintain their fine form as the Laidler Play-Offs are just a round the corner. On Sunday Senators travel to Deeside, the rink where this season started with a credible & hard fought victory, the like of which would be welcomed again to finish the regular season on a high.

Following on from the Senators game Rapiers U16 D1 face Kingston Hull at 3.50pm which is prior to the Sutton vs Spartans game (Spartans are the away team for this fixture). Rapiers are currently two points clear at the top of their table with four games to play so will be out for the win, especially as a win will secure their place in the national finals. 

Greyhounds U16 D2 travel to Nottingham and will need no other incentive to record a win against our rivals from down the M1 & in doing so maintain their 100% win record for the season.

On Sunday, both our U12’s teams are in action at Ice Sheffield with Lasers taking on Bradford (2.05pm) in D1 in what is a must game win for the Sheffield team. Lasers sit 4 points in front of Bradford who have 3 games in hand so nothing other than a win will really suffice if they are to win their league. Swampfrogs in D2 face Coventry and once again, a win is a must if they are to push for the top. They currently sit 4 points behind leaders Deeside but with two games in hand on the Dragons whilst Whitley Bay are in second, two points and one game in hand on the Swampfrogs.

In another important fixture, one that takes place before our U12’s take to the ice, Lasers U12 D1 also face an important must win fixture when they entertain second placed Bradford at 12.15pm. However before our U12’s take to the ice Stormers U14 D1 will be looking to secure an important win against Bradford (12.15pm). It couldn’t be much closer with Stormers sitting on top of the table just one point in front of Bradford who have a game in hand. A win for Stormers would swing the advantage their way with just 3 games remaining after this one.

It promises to be an exciting and tense weekend for all our SIHA teams so if you are free why not pop down and support us…remember that the junior games are free admission and your support would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-

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SIHA Round-Up 21st & 22nd March 2015

Thank you to Phil Holden for his contribution to FSB, All Credit for this piece goes to him so any queries you can contact Phil on Twitter @PhilSlice

Senators enjoyed a 4 point double header success over local rivals Nottingham Lions in what were two good games of hockey. Sens put in two competent and gritty performances to outsmart a hard working Nottingham team that couldn’t quite match Senators overall play & enthusiasm.

On Saturday at Ice Sheffield Senators won 3-1 in an end to end game that was quite close at times but overall Senators deserved their win which came from a solid defence & sound netminding. In a first period that lacked a bit of zip it was tied at 0-0 with Senators failing to capitalise on the chances they created whilst restricting Lions to just 5 shots. Senators snatched the lead early on in the second when Josh Gent scored a nice goal, showing great tenacity to put his chance away from Sergevs Jegorovs on 21.49. Sens enjoyed a good spell of pressure only to be pulled back with a well taken goal scored by Ben Wood on 26.44. This lifted Nottingham but Senators rode out the storm to enjoy a good spell themselves but Thomas Hovell in Lions goal was equal to anything Sens could fire at him with Bobby Browne in fine form too when called upon to make the saves to ensure it was still all square at the end of the second. The game was a lot more fast flowing in the final period with both teams creating some good chances but once again Senators defence were on their game and with Bobby Browne making the saves when he had to it gave Senators a platform from which to go on and win the game which is what they did. Some quick thinking and passing out of defence from Martyn Gray & Joe Colton put Charlie Thompson clear who showed great skill to fire one past Hovell who had no chance; goal timed 43.46. Sens made several more chances but it wasn’t until 54.31 when Nathan Britton played the puck back for Josh Gent to shoot one in for 3-1. Nottingham had been difficult to break down and they responded positively to enjoy arguably their best spell of the game but once again Senators were on their game to soak up the pressure and finish strongly to see the game out for a deserved win.

On Sunday it was a short trip down the M1 to Nottingham for the return fixture and once again, it was a good game of hockey but a little bit feistier than the previous night with both teams clearly up for the game. Senators started strongly to dominate proceedings and were two up through Josh Gent on 2.22 and Tom Humphries on 7.51. Nottingham did hit back and eventually popped one in on the powerplay through Ivo Dimitrijevs. It terms of chances it was pretty even but on the balance of play and possession Senators were the better team. In terms of overall play it was more balanced in the second period but Senators always had the upper hand. Paul Lofthouse set up Tom Humphries in the first minute to make it 3-1 but Lions pulled one back on 28.17, Kieran Raynor the scorer. Joel Aheran made the most of his chance to make it 4-2 after some nice play from Charlie Thompson & Sergevs Jegorovs on 28.17. It was a good contest with both teams basically cancelling one another out from which it became a bit niggly as Lions were struggling to find a way back into the game. An inspirational talk from Andy Ellis did the trick in the period break to see a well drilled Senators team competently finish of their rivals with controlled hockey. A lovely short-handed goal from Nathan Britton made it 5-2 on 48.57 gave Senators the edge against a battling Nottingham team that pulled another back on the powerplay timed 51.21, Ben Wood the scorer to make it 5-3. Lions continued to push forward whilst leaving themselves open for counter attacks and both teams had solid chances to add to their score but it’s fair to say that Senators looked in control to once again see the game out for another win in another good game of hockey which was concluded with a bench clearance in which amazingly not one penalty was awarded. Senators win 5-3 to secure a 4 point weekend over Lions.

To the juniors and Rapiers U16 D1 notched an impressive 9-0 away win over Kingston Hull but were made to work hard for their win in the early stages of the game but stepped it up to run out clear winners in the end. Samurai U10’s were in action at Ice Sheffield with cross ice challenge games against Nottingham, Solihull & Coventry.

On Sunday Sabres U14 D2 edged ever closer to their league title whilst ensuring their 100% win record remains intact with a 6-3 away win at Blackburn. Sabres were 1-0 up through Harry Currell at the end of the first with goals in the second for Leon Shaw, Ben O’Brien & Luke Watson to make it 4-0 after two. Josh Cope made it 5-0 before Blackburn pulled two goals back but it was too little too late as Sabres added another in the final minute through Ben O’Brien.

Scorpions U18 D2 narrowly lost out 5-4 at home to Nottingham in what was a pretty decent game with some noticeable performances on the Sheffield team.

One again, all in all it’s been another successful weekend for SIHA’s teams with more action coming up this weekend with the conclusion of the senior regular season as well as some important junior fixtures too…keep an eye out for the upcoming preview with all the relevant details.

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-

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What a weekend...PART TWO!

Welcome to the second part of "What A Weekend!"; the final weekend of the Steelers regular season as seen through my own eyes. The team had just won in the National Ice Centre, home of the Nottingham Panthers, on an emotional night. Could they finish the job in front of their own fans or would Cardiff spoil the party just like they had done just 13 days earlier in the Challenge Cup Final? Stay tuned in...

After the game Friday, it was time to unwind in the Lace City and despite the vocal chords being strained beyond belief, nothing was going to stop me. A couple of beers in Bunkers Hill were downed before heading off to the Pit and Pendulum just around the corner from the hotel. This pub reminds me of the Dove and Rainbow back here in Sheffield, similar ambience and playing the music I can often be found blasting through headphones. I would have gone to Rock City but when I saw they had a chart and dance night on; the P and P proved to be an inspired alternative. We got back to the hotel at almost 2:00am and nodded off by 3.

The good thing about the Ibis was that we could check out as late as noon which was excellent as it allowed us to have a lie-in and recover from Friday's exertions, The voice had almost returned back to normal, and so after a stroll around the superbly organised Continental Market in Market Square where I purchased some kangaroo burgers (seriously I did, just ask Alan), we headed back to South Yorkshire. There was a league title to be won for the first time since 2011 if we didn't freeze, so to speak, on the occasion.

Arriving back at the Arena at just before 6, I was astounded to hear some of my fellow Steelers fans saying how nervous they were before the game. Crikey, if they were nervous, how must have the actual players and Gerad have been - you could easily multiply that ten-fold. To me, it was just another game or as I kept reminding myself exactly that. I was trying to remain as cool as I could on the exterior with little emotion showing. I must have been one of the most calmest people in the House of Steel before the puck dropped at 19:06 hours from the hand of Reading based stripey Tom Darnell - whom I still maintain is the best official we have in the league, way ahead of Mr Hicks...

Cardiff knew they couldn't leave Sheffield without a win, and it was they who opened the scoring just after the ten and a half minute mark. Carl Hudson was the man who lit the lamp with a strike that caught Steelers on the hop after what appeared a bad line change. At the other end Ben Bowns was having one of those nights as he seemed equal to everything that we could throw at him: just like the Challenge Cup Final all over again. Josh Unice was proving equally good, bar the goal, and we finished the first twenty trailing by that solitary goal.

Steelers ramped up the intensity in the second and after banging on the proverbial door many times, it was my Mam and Samantha Dale's favourite who broke Bowns' resistance with a nicely executed leveller at 27:19. The irrepressible Mosienko and Phillips with the helpers. It was also the cue for the teddy bears to hit the ice and the delay affected us. The momentum swung back Devils' way and we had to be thankful for a combination of dogged defending and some solid saves from Unice to ensure we didn't go into the third period behind. The end of the second period hooter came as a massive relief.

Naturally the third period was a cautious one, with only nine shots registered in total by both sides as each looked for that all important breakthrough. My voice was waning again as the game progressed, and it took a modern day legend to break the tie. Former Devil (and Cardiff born) Phil Hill picked up the puck in the left circle after Bowns had saved from Jeff Legue, threw it across ice where that same number 12 had escaped the attentions of Tyson Marsh and he rammed in his 232nd EIHL Steelers goal into the gaping goal with Bowns stranded. The noise level went up another notch.

What followed was periods of pressure from Cardiff, but the Steelers were in no mood to let this slip. Defending like trojans and limiting the Devils to the outside, basic smart hockey when you are in front. Legue had scored with just over 14 minutes left so it was a long time to hold onto such a slender advantage against a team who have pretty good offence as much as you. But Adams' plan was executed to perfection and at 21:21 (the number 21 being so significant in many respects), time ran out on Cardiff and we celebrated. After 72 emotional hours, the Monteith Bowl returned back to Sheffield. It had been done "For Amy" and she could look down on us all and celebrate in heaven. Champions League hockey was coming its way to Sheffield. 

The following night, Cardiff went out and beat a Nottingham team (who simply had nothing to play for in the league, Steelers win against the Devils had given Corey Neilson's team the Erhardt Conference title) 6-2 but even that was only good enough for third. Braehead secured second and the second Champions League spot thanks to former Steeler Stefan Meyer's game winner in Fife to triumph 3-2 (they had beaten Hull 9-4 on Saturday night). And that was that!

So we now head into the two legged quarter final play-offs this weekend. Steelers entertain Fife, Braehead have Hull, Nottingham are paired with Coventry and Cardiff get Belfast. Form should see both Steelers and Clan progress (although upsets can happen as Steelers know to their cost in both 2012 and 2013) whilst the other two could go either way. Panthers face a tough couple of games against massively improved Blaze; the team I personally wanted to avoid; whilst Devils face a Giants side that have failed to deliver this season and will be keen to put some kind of smiles on the faces of the Teal Army. The match ups will determine who will get invites to the Final Four party the following weekend at the NIC. I ain't making any predictions though.


Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-
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What a weekend...PART ONE!

Now that my voice is almost back to normal, namely I am not talking like Johnny Vegas from St. Helens and looking for Monkey, it's time to give my personal recap on what was an absolute immense weekend. 2 massive games and 2 massive results were needed. As you know we are now champions but from my eyes how did it unfold? Sit back and enjoy the ride, as you get to find what I went through as a hardened fan. It really was something special...

Welcome to Part One of "What A Weekend!"

In fact this all started Thursday at 6pm when I finished work. Clocked out on time and onto the X5 bus to S26 to rendezvous with Mr FrozenSteelMNL himself. It was about this time that I heard the sad news about Amy. Despite being on a packed bus, my emotions took hold and I admit I cried my eyes. Amy was a member of the hockey family, and despite the illness, always looked upbeat whenever I saw her around. She will never be forgotten. Fly free sweet angel...

Therefore the mood arriving in S26 was sombre as opposed to the usual happy go lucky one. However both myself and Alan realised we could not allow ourselves to get depressed too much so we broke out the cheesiest of the cheesy music courtesy of my laptop. The laughter returned and we're sure that Amy would have approved, in fact she would have been laughing too I guess. Well if you had heard some of the songs played, you would have been left thinking "Oh my days!"

Friday soon came around and with it, the travel down for the day of destiny - part one. Having checked into the hotel early afternoon, we hit Hooters as usual and meeting up with members of Rock The Block. One substantial meal demolished later, it was back to the hotel to get changed for the game. The game was a high intensity one, with Sam Oakford scoring the first period's only goal. When Greg "Juice" Jacina made it 2-0 early in the second, you could have been forgiven that the defence would collapse like it had many times before in the NIC. But the team pulled themselves together and goals from Forney and O'Connor (the latter, a superb shorthanded effort assisted by the ever energetic Tyler Mosienko) had us level after 40 minutes.

The game went from end to end with both sides pushing for the all important next goal. Panthers regained the lead just over 7 minutes from the end, captain Brandon Benedict firing across Josh Unice (who was having another great game) although it appeared that officials missed a clear push on Tyler in the build-up. We had to dig deep again, with time against us. But cometh the man, cometh the moment. Enter Mathieu Roy (who should be an absolute shoe-in for EIHL MVP), clearly injured, in the 58th minute at the right moment to net the rebound after Modig had saved from Forney initially. Both went for it and as it looked like penalty shots would happened, Mosey was whistled for a tripping call and 28 seconds remained. G used his time-out to perfection, the guys set it and again Roy was in the right place again - the puck rolling into the net in slow motion. We went bananas!

On a personal level, my voice was ruined but I was past caring. I was so overjoyed! I will go along and say it ranks amongst the best moments I have experienced in hockey in the years I have been watching this great game. Amy had definitely been shining on our hockey team on the Friday, could we finish the job in the House Of Steel in less than 24 hours? That was the plan, Cardiff lay in wait for us. Destiny was calling Sheffield Steelers.

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-
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This Month In Steelers History - April 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

IT’S PLAY OFF TIME!

APRIL 1995 (20 yrs)

Into April and the play offs.

Steelers had an indifferent start, losing the first two games, at Nottingham and Fife.

They soon picked up the pace though, and won their remaining four games with a total of 29 goals. McKay posted another shut out against Fife (28 shots), his second against them that season.

So we come to the final weekend of the season at Wembley.

Up first, in the semi-final were the team who had beaten Steelers 12-1 in their inaugural season on the big stage.

Last year Cardiff were 7-0 up before Scott Neil scored Steelers’ only goal.

The highlight of this year’s weekend (for a neutral) was this semi-final with Cardiff, a magnificent match which will stand as one of the British game’s most outstanding contests.

The Steelers won it on penalties (5-4) with the excellent Martin McKay stopping three of Cardiff’s first four efforts, while Ken Priestlay, Steve Nemeth and Les Millie netted for Sheffield after the match had ended 4-4.

Less than 24 hours later, in front of a crowd of more than 8,800, the Steelers enjoyed a comfortable 7-2 victory over an Edinburgh Racers side containing the likes of Tony Hand to complete the double, with The Yorkshire Post lamenting: “The final, judged in comparison, was an anti-climax which was further marred by a referee who had no control over the game and was out of his depth.”

CARDIFF GAME

The resulting shootout: SHOOTOUT

The final, although an anti-climax, was sweet glory for Sheffield and coming on top of the league win pushed them to the top.

Steelers answered the question as to whether they would be conned into the same type of game as Nottingham were the night before with an emphatic ‘NO’.

Edinburgh were left short-handed for a greater part of the opening ten minutes and Steelers scored two in just 24 seconds. Even though the Racers got two goals in the middle period: goals from Cranston, Priestlay (2), Millie , Nemeth and Wilson sealed it for the new boys.

Defenceman Ron Shudra, with the club since its formation, scoring 13 points in eight games during the post-season, including five goals.

After the final Ron commented “I think for that play-off final, being there and losing the way we did the year before to Cardiff gave us such an added incentive to make sure that we finished it off when we went back that time and saw the job through against Edinburgh.”

If you were wondering who the ‘over-zealous’ referee was: Graham Horner was in the stripes.

On a personal note I watched this game on the BBC in a little flat in Filey.

APRIL 2000 (15 yrs)

Steeler’s owner Darren Brown completed the takeover of Westfield Sharks last night, signing an undisclosed package to assume sole control of the club. The 28 year old sports magnate, who was also unveiled as new boss of Chesterfield FC this week.

Steelers kept their most important close season promise today, by re-signing the man who puts the backbone into the team. Muscleman Dennis Vial wanted by teams across the world, agreed a new one-year-deal with the Steelers.

Concentrating on the play offs became almost impossible with the Challenge Cup Final being scheduled for a few days earlier.

For this Steelers travelled to London Arena and here Mike Blaisdell had his first taste of victory in a Sheffield v Nottingham cup final as they won 2-1. Ed Courtenay and Jason Weaver scored the two valuable goals.

Nottingham’s Jordan Willis was inspired in the net, turning away 29 shots.

After the game Blaisdell complained “The penalties disrupted the flow. We knew they had injuries and wanted to go at them”. But he didn’t complain about the crowd “They were like an extra player, it was like being at home” he said as 4,000 fans roared them on.

The final moments of celebration were spoiled somewhat as, with 3.1 seconds left Carson blew for offside, because of the noise no-one heard and the clock ticked down, fireworks flashed, tickertape rained down and it was eventually agreed to end the game to prevent a fiasco.

Spurred on by this and with the championship trophy left to win Steelers’ were confident in the semi-final against the leagues wooden spoon team, Newcastle Riverkings.

But it was not to be with Jimmy Hibbert standing on his head in the goal for the Riverkings.

Two long serving Steelers, Tommy Plommer and Andre Malo retired at the end of the season.

APRIL 2005 (10yrs)

Their championship hopes were dashed by the eventual winners -Coventry- in the Semi-finals when, even though they had 41 shots they failed to beat Jody Lehman and were defeated 3-0.

Still they did claim something when they defeated Cardiff Devils 4-2 in the third and fourth place play offs.

APRIL 2010 (5yrs)

This month, unfortunately, for the first time in their history Steelers failed to make the play off finals, having gone out in the knockout stages to Cardiff.

So the main thing for the players was to book flights home and book some holidays.

Nb: If you want this kind of thing next year please let me (@NewboltRobert) or Tom (@TomWalkeden) know.

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-

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5 Things We Learnt This Weekend - 20th-22nd March 2015

Thank you to Tony for his contribution to FSB, All Credit for this piece goes to him so any queries you can contact Tony on Twitter @DISGU15ED

So what five things did we learn in this championship winning week?

1> 2014/2015 Elite League champions - That's the one we wanted, the one we'd lent to a Belfast and Nottingham in recent years. Ours again. Loving my hockey this year.

2> Enough drama to last us until 15/16! - Having to win two games to win the title was challenging enough, especially against two form teams who needed to beat us too, but winning both after giving up the first goal in each is Championship class. Bravo.

3> Champions Hockey League - I was excited enough watching the Panthers last year, so can't wait until 13 May to find out which two European powerhouses are coming to Sheffield sometime between 20 August and 6 September. Fingers crossed for a nice euro road trip too.

4> Conference champions <> League Champions again - Shows how bizarre this scoring system is when only once in three years did the overall champion win their league. For the record the Erhardt champions have finished 2nd, 1st & 4th in the league, the Gardiner 2nd, 3rd & 8th.

5> Amy - There's nothing much extra that I can add to this story, but I hope when you were at your lowest the hockey family could lend a hand to help raise you back up a bit, we won't forget, and we're still here for the rest of your family now.

One final thought for you, and it's a bit off the wall. The main thing I took from the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January was that the world would be a better place if people gave others the benefit of the doubt occasionally. Tolerance and understanding go both ways, escalation can happen quickly, and you don't need to search out reasons to get offended. Look for the good in others, and they'll do the same to you.

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-

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The Night of the 21 #ForAmy

The Night of the 21

So the Sheffield Steelers are your 2014/15 Elite Ice Hockey League Champions and it's not secret that the players, staff and fans all wanted this championship for Amy Usher who recently passed away and everyone knows that the number 21 was significant to her and Saturday was no different with Amy looking down on the Steelers as they went into their final league game of the season knowing a win would see them lift the league title.

The game was blighted with the number "21". It was all done for Amy and in her memory the Steelers went and won the league and dedicated it to her and it was all done on the 21st March with the game finished at 21:21; the final score was 2-1. Jeff Legue scored the game winning goal and his number backwards is 21, It was also Legue's 10th of the season assisted by Hill for his 11th assist so 10+11=21, Josh Unice made 21 saves on the night. It was the Steelers 21st home league win in regulation and Steelers forward Tyler Mosienko who wears #21 was celebrating his birthday. The officials involved in the game well their numbers 27+9+25+23 divided by 4 (how many of them there is) all came to 21.

So as you can see "21" was absolutely everywhere. The Sheffield Steelers definitely had an angel looking down on them.

#ForAmy

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Match Report: 21.3.2015 - Steelers v Devils EC/EIHL

Saturday 21^st March 2015 – Sheffield Steelers (34-13-4) v Cardiff Devils (33-13-4) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face-off: 7pm, Erhardt Conference/Elite League

Sheffield Steelers – 2
Robert Dowd – 2^nd
Jeff Legue – 3^rd

Cardiff Devils – 1
Carl Hudson – 1^st

Final game of the league season and the Steelers knew that if they won they’d win the league. It didn’t start all too well for them though when at 10:39 Cardiff took the lead when Carl Hudson assisted by Morissette and Lord had the puck just inside the Steelers zone and managed to his snapshot off that went through traffic and beat Unice down low and that’s how it stayed going into the break with at times Ben Bowns making some outstanding saves to keep his team in the lead going into the 1^st interval.

End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 0–1 Cardiff Devils

Shots on Goal: Steelers 9-6 Devils

Into the second period and Steelers found a way to cause some serious problems for Cardiff with them having all the momentum and they made it count at 27:19 when Jonathan Phillips was played the puck by Mosienko in between the circles in the Devils zone and he miss-fired his slap shot that slid towards goal and Dowd managed to get hold of it and with Bowns trying to get the puck down low Dowd just shot high and the game was level at 1-1 and then that brought on all the teddies with it being teddy bear toss which was a shame as it killed all the momentum the Steelers had but Sheffield held their nerve and they went into the break level at 1-1 with just twenty minutes left to win the title.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 1–1 Cardiff Devils

Shots on Goal: Steelers 11–12 Devils

Biggest twenty minutes of the season so far and it was just a perfect defensive display by the Steelers. Steelers took the lead at 45:06 when Legue saw his original shot saved by the blocker of Bowns, Phil Hill went to the corner and through the puck on goal that bounced awkwardly for Bowns and Legue was able to back hand it into the net for a 2-1 lead. Steelers defended valiantly and they worked as a team, Devils pulled Bowns with 55 seconds left in an attempt to level the game but it just wasn’t meant to be and Sheffield held on to the win the game which crowned them 2014/2015 Elite Ice Hockey League Champions and it was a game blighted with “21”. It was all done for Amy and in memory of Amy and the Steelers won the league on the 21^st March with the game finishing at 21:21; the final score was 2-1. Legue scored the game winning goal and his number backwards is 21, It was also Legue’s 10^th of the season assisted by Hill for his 11^th assist so 10+11=21, Josh Unice made 21 saves, It was the Steelers 21^st home league win in regulation and Mosienko who wears #21 was also celebrating his birthday so it was all about the number 21 and it was all for Amy
Shots on Goal: Steelers 5–4 Devils

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 2–1 Cardiff Devils

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

Sheffield  - 0-1-1-0-[2]-{0/0}-25

Cardiff     - 1-0-0-0-[0]-{0/1}-22

Sheffield Man of the Match: #75 Robert Dowd
Cardiff Man of the Match: #33 Ben Bowns

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 5 Points
Jeff Legue (1+0), Jonathan Phillips (0+1), Tyler Mosienko (0+1), Phil Hill (0+1), Robert Dowd (1+0)

Cardiff Points Round Up: - 3 Points

Carl Hudson (1+0), Jake Morissette (0+1), Andrew Lord (0+1)

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks

Referee: #9 Tom Darnell

Linesman: #25 Andy Dalton

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 to the right.

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-

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21.3.15 - Steelers Crowned Champions Talk Show

The Match Night Talk Show as the Steelers were crowned EIHL Champions

listen to ‘21.3.15 Steelers vs Devils pre game’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘21.3.15 Steelers vs Devils End of First’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘21.3.15 Steelers vs Devils End of Second’ on audioBoom

listen to ‘21.3.15 Steelers vs Devils End of Game’ on audioBoom

Thanks for reading guys. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-
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Match Report: 20.3.2015 - Panthers v Steelers EC/EIHL

Friday 20^th March 2015 – Nottingham Panthers (29-15-6) v Sheffield Steelers (33-13-4) @ National Ice Centre. Face-off: 7:30pm, Erhardt Conference/Elite League

Nottingham Panthers – 3
Sam Oakford – 1^st
Greg Jacina – 2^nd
Brandon Benedict – 3^rd PP

Sheffield Steelers – 4
Michael Forney – 2^nd
Ben O’Connor – 2^nd SH
Mathieu Roy (2) – 3^rd, OT PP

Final league meeting between the Panthers and the Steelers for the season and it was in Nottingham where Sheffield had won their two previous visits but could they make it three in a row. Nottingham drew first blood at 8:18 when Sam Oakford had the puck on the blue line and he fired his shot which I think was tipped by Doucet as the puck took a strange deflection to beat Unice but Oakford was announced as the goal scorer and Steelers had to come back from a goal down. Steelers massively outshot their hosts and Mattias Modig was in just outstanding form and was the reason Nottingham went into the 1^st break a goal up.

End of the 1st Period: Nottingham Panthers 1–0 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Panthers 8-16 Steelers

Into the second period and we was going to have two minutes off 4v4 and Darrell Hay had a chance to level the game but his shot came back off the post before Nottingham broke 1v1 and it was Greg Jacina at 21:28 who fired a shot low and hard past Unice from in between the circles as there wasn’t really anything Sarich could have done to prevent him. Sheffield finally found a way past Modig at 24:09 when Fretter played a cross ice pass to Forney who took a touch off his skate and fired his wrist shot past the glove of Modig for 2-1. Sheffield levelled the game at 32:05 while shorthanded a poor turnover by Cody Wild allowed Tyler Mosienko to pick up the puck who played Ben O’Connor who was on the breakaway and he fired wrist shot straight through Modig to send the visiting fans wild and that’s how it stayed going into the 2^nd interval.
End of the 2nd Period: Nottingham Panthers 2–2 Sheffield Steelers

Shots on Goal: Panthers 7–10 Steelers

Big third period and both teams gave as good as they got Nottingham took their second lead of the game at 52:50 while on the man advantage Benedict was at the back door to Unice’s left and managed to get his shot past Unice and Nottingham led 3-2 it was slightly controversial when at the other Mosienko took a big check from behind and the officials just ignored it for some strange reason. Sheffield levelled the game at 57:32 and it was that guy Mathieu Roy, Forney was at the left circle and Modig made the save and Roy fired the rebound into the open goal to send the visiting fans wild and we had 3-3 score line going into overtime.
End of the 3rd Period: Nottingham Panthers 3-3 Sheffield Steelers
Shots on Goal: Panthers 11–6 Steelers


Into overtime and both Modig and Unice had big saves to make but with 28 seconds left Evan Mosey was called for tripping and Sheffield took their timeout and got to work and it was Modig had a save to make from O’Connor and Roy was stood in front and he managed to shoot the rebound under Modig to win Steelers the game 4-3 at 64:47 to leave them top of the league knowing that a win vs Cardiff 24 hours later will secure the league title.
Shots on Goal: Panthers 4-4 Steelers

FINAL SCORE: Nottingham Panthers 3–4 Sheffield Steelers OT

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

Nottingham  - 1-1-1-0-[10]-{1/3}-30

Sheffield        - 0-2-1-1-[10]-{1/3}-36

Nottingham Man of the Match: #7 Robert Lachowicz
Sheffield Man of the Match: #21 Tyler Mosienko

Nottingham Points Round Up: - 7 Points
Brandon Benedict (1+1), Sam Oakford (1+0), Greg Jacina (1+0), Guillaume Doucet (0+1), Cody Wild (0+1), Chris Higgins (0+1)

Sheffield Points Round Up: -11  Points

Michael Forney (1+1), Mathieu Roy (2+1), Tyler Mosienko (0+2), Colton Fretter (0+2), Ben O’Connor (1+1)

Referee: #9 Tom Darnell

Referee: #27 Mike Hicks

Linesman: #22 Paul Staniforth

Linesman: #38 Danny Beresford

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. If you want to get involved please contact us on twitter or find us on Facebook and like us and leave a comment:-

@FrozenSteelBlog

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@FrozenSteelMNL

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Check out the Frozen Steel Podcast

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