Match Report: 7.3.2015 - Steelers v Giants EC/EIHL

Saturday 7^th March 2015 – Sheffield Steelers (30-12-4) v Belfast Giants (25-17-5) @ Motorpoint Arena. Face-off: 7pm, Erhardt Conference/Elite League

Sheffield Steelers – 4
Mathieu Roy – 1^st
Colton Fretter (2) – 1^st, 3^rd
Michael Forney – 3^rd

Belfast Giants – 3
Mark Garside – 1^st
Mark McCutcheon – 2^nd
Ray Sawada – 3^rd

Massive league game at the arena in one the Steelers really had to win to keep up their hopes of winning the league but the visitors took the lead at 4:10 when Steelers couldn’t get the puck cleared and Mark Garside just easily backhanded it high past Unice and the Giants led 1-0. Sheffield equalised at 13:39 when a poor pass by O’Connor was almost intercepted by Robinson but a lucky bounce put it in the path of Mathieu Roy who fired his shot low past Stephen Murphy for 1-1. Steelers would soon take the lead but not before Fretter forced a fantastic toe save out of Murphy and then at 15:01 it was Colton Fretter who got the puck in front of goal and he went forehand then backhand before slotting it past Murphy for 2-1. Fretter could have had a hat-trick if it wasn’t for Murphy making some fine saves when the Giants netminder made a diving save across goal and made a fantastic glove save off the Steelers forward but Sheffield took a 2-1 lead into the break.

End of the 1st Period: Sheffield Steelers 2–1 Belfast Giants

Shots on Goal: Steelers 12-8 Giants

A big second period was coming up and Belfast scored the only goal of the period at 26:47 it was slightly controversial though when Giants cleared from their own zone and there was no touch of any other player and for some reason Icing wasn’t given and as Sarich played it out his own zone the Steelers turned it over and Belfast broke 3v1 and with some nice passing it finished with McCutcheon finishing through the five hole of Unice. That goal annoyed the home faithful because if you giving the Icing you take away the momentum and the goal never comes but the both teams went in all square at the break.
End of the 2nd Period: Sheffield Steelers 2–2 Belfast Giants

Shots on Goal: Steelers 9–9 Giants

Into the third period and Sheffield took the lead at 42:40 when Colton Fretter was in possession of the puck to the right of Stephen Murphy before firing an absolute bullet of a wrist shot high and over the shoulder of Murphy for a 3-2 lead. Belfast managed to level the game at 3-3 at 49:37 when Ray Sawada fired a nice snap shot past Unice at his near post and in all fairness it was a shot that Unice would probably want back but it was a sweet shot. With the clock ticking down Belfast were defending brilliant and managed to block a shot on the goal line to deny the Steelers but Belfast took a time-out and with 16 seconds left with it timed at 59:44 Michael Forney showed some great persistence and skill and managed to get a shot off while falling down and managed to beat Murphy past the blocker to give Steelers a massively important 4-3 win.
Shots on Goal: Steelers 5–6 Giants

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 4–3 Belfast Giants

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

Sheffield - 2-0-2-0-[8]-{0/2}-26

Belfast    - 1-1-1-0-[6]-{0/3}-23

Sheffield Man of the Match: #67 Colton Fretter
Belfast Man of the Match: #31 Stephen Murphy

Sheffield Points Round Up: - 9 Points
Michael Forney (1+0), Mathieu Roy (1+1), Tomas Petruska (0+1), Tyler Mosienko (0+1), Dustin Kohn (0+1), Colton Fretter (2+0), Ben O’Connor (0+1)

Belfast Points Round Up: - 9 Points

Mark Garside (1+0), Ray Sawada (1+1), Mark McCutcheon (1+1), Adam Keefe (0+1), Darryl Lloyd (0+1), Nathan Robinson (0+2)

Referee: #19 Rab Cowan

Referee: #10 Neil Wilson

Linesman: #25 Andy Dalton

Linesman: #31 Ally Flockhart

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