Welcome to our match report from Sunday's game in Coventry.
After their 3-2 home win on Saturday night against Guildford, Steelers travelled down to the Midlands to face a Coventry Blaze side that have been seriously underperformed this season so much so that there are rumblings that this could be Danny Stewart's last season as Blaze Head Coach. Steelers were unchanged from the Flames game which meant Zack Fitzgerald sat out for the second successive game as the spare import. Blaze were considerably short-benched, and iced just 12 imports. and 14 outskaters. Bare bones indeed for the Blaze.
The game was delayed to allow a large crowd in as the Blaze honoured Russ Cowley with a well deserved shirt retirement. Cowley had served the Blaze with such distinction for 14 full seasons, bar a single season in Cardiff in 2006-07, after joining them from Swindon Lynx midway through the 2001-02 campaign. The Edmonton-born player could play either defence or forward, and appeared in 711 games for the Blaze as well as 66 times from the Team GB senior team. A great servant to British Ice Hockey.
Once the ceremony had concluded, it was time to play hockey and Blaze looked like they would belie their lowly league standings and ensure the shirt retirement would be celebrated with a win as they scored just a couple of seconds before the five minute mark. Top scorer Marc-Olivier Vallerand netted it, scoring on a breakaway and finishing past Ervins Mustukovs. Just after the halfway point of that opening period, Blaze scored again: this time it was Gaelan Patterson who scored. Patterson lighting the lamp on a delayed penalty play. Both teams then hit the pipework but the opening period ended 2-0 in the Blaze's favour and deservedly so as the Steelers only had 4 shots on Kevin Nastiuk's goal.
Harsh words must have been said in the locker room but at 23:32, the Blaze had a third goal. Steelers were defending a 5 on 3 after calls for too many men on the ice and a Jonathan Phillips boarding minor. They scored on the first man advantage, that man Vallerand with his second of the game. Yet Steelers were more offensive in the middle period, outshooting their hosts. They reduced the arrears at 28:12 when a puck bounced around the Blaze zone before Eric Neiley took charge and slotted home his third in as many games and 5th of the season. Steelers' tails were up and they reduced the margin further 31:51 on the powerplay, former Blaze defenceman Ben O'Connor blasting home a one timer for his 15th of the campaign.
The dominance continued in the third period as Steelers started to force the Blaze back whilst repelling any home threats. With about seven and half minutes to go, parity was restored. Some quality play from Colton Fretter behind Nastiuk's goal saw him tee up Matt Marquardt who gleefully took advantage and net his 23rd goal of the season. Coventry were hanging on and were thankful to Nastiuk to allow the game to go overtime and gain a point as Steelers pressed for a winner. However in overtime Blaze seemed rejuvenated and had the best chances, yet Steelers managed to score that all important game winner with their first shot in that extra period. Mathieu Roy setting up his buddy Marquardt to break his old team's hearts for goal number 24 of the season. What a comeback!
Time for the statistics:
Goals: Blaze 3 Steelers 4
Steelers Scoring: Marquardt 2+0, Westerling 0+2, Neiley 1+0, O'Connor 1+0, Valdix 0+1, Roy 0+1, Wallace 0+1, Fretter 0+1, Nelson 0+1.
Blaze Scoring: Vallerand 2+0, Patterson 1+0, Pietrus 0+1, Robinson 0+1, Venus 0+1.
Shots On Goal: Blaze 35 Steelers 42
Powerplay: Steelers 1 from 6 (17% conversion), Blaze 1 from 4 (25% conversion)
Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 10 Blaze 14
Steelers Goaltender Stats: Mustukovs 32 Saves (1134), GAA: 2.88 (2.34), Save Percentage: 91.40% (91.70%).
Man of the Match: Mark Matheson (Steelers), Marc-Olivier Vallerand (Blaze)
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