The match report from Sunday's return in Coventry.
Inspired
by a hat-trick from former Steeler Luke Ferrara, Coventry Blaze inflicted a
heavy 8-2 loss on the Steelers in Sunday’s return game at the Sky Dome. Four of
the eight goals came in a three and a half minute purple patch in the second
period with three of them being scored in just 97 seconds. It was a sorry end
to Steelers pre-season schedule and the misery was compounded when influential
forward Levi Nelson left the game and to hospital with a nasty looking injury
inflicted in a clash with Blaze’s Czech defenceman Vojtech Kloz.
Blaze
were still missing the same four players who missed the 2-1 loss in the Arena
the night before, and Steelers were still without former Blaze forward Matt
Marquardt but added both Mathieu Roy and Zack Fitzgerald to their treatment
room after injuries in Saturday’s encounter. Brad Day was given the start in
between the pipes for Paul Thompson’s team in the only other change to the team
who played in Sheffield.
The
night started off badly as Ferrara had Blaze ahead after 2:11 – not the start
that Steelers wanted in a building where they have had mixed fortunes over the
years. That lead was doubled at 13:11 on the powerplay, Tim Wallace in the box for
tripping, and Ferrara scored his second of the evening. As the period drew to a
close, referee Michael Hicks was a busy man calling two men from each side for
penalties in the space of 64 seconds. Needing a goal to spark themselves before
the first period break, Steelers got it in the freakiest way possible. Mark
Matheson had the initial effort but Brett Robinson batted the puck past his own
netminder Nastiuk for 2-1.
Early
in the second Nelson saw his night finished after a clash with Kloz, an
incident which didn’t impress Brady Ramsay much and he dropped the gloves with
the Czech import: which saw both receive five minute majors from Hicks but no
action on the initial play that saw Nelson exit the game yet Ramsay also copped
a roughing minor. The game plan then went sailing out of the proverbial window
as Blaze lit the lamp with four unanswered goals. Ferrara scored his hat-trick
goal at 30:21 and two minutes later the floodgates opened with captain Jordan
Pietrus, Gaelan Patterson and Ross Venus scoring three in rapid time. Wallace
reduced the arrears almost immediately but the second period ended with Blaze
leading by 6-2.
That
lead was extended again early in the final period. With Kieran Brown sitting
out a hooking minor, Blaze got their powerplay working again and former
Steeldog Edgars Bebris scored number seven. By this time too, Nastiuk had been
given the rest of the night off and young Welshman Brython Preece was given the
final twenty minutes of action. And when called upon, he shut the door on
Thompson’s men. Yet Blaze had the final say at 57:38, Robinson this time
scoring at the right end of the ice and to finish the scoring with an end of
game result of Coventry Blaze 8 Sheffield Steelers 2.
With
Nelson looking likely to be apparently out for a while plus Roy and Fitzgerald
serious doubts, Thompson will be hoping Matt Marquardt is fit enough to feature
in this weekend’s season openers whilst looking at who else he can bring in
fill the gaps which have appeared in the line-up.
Some
statistics from the game:
Goals:
Steelers 2 Coventry 8
Powerplay:
Steelers 0 from 5 (0% conversion), Coventry 2 from 3 (67% conversion)
Penalty Minutes: Steelers 17, Coventry 17
Man of the Match: Kieran Brown (Steelers), Luke Ferrara (Coventry)
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
@FrozenSteelMNL
@hockeybhoy
@Disgu15ed
Check out Breaking The Ice: Our Podcast
Available on iTunes to listen and download, also on SoundCloud
No comments:
Post a Comment