From The Editor's Chair - Edition 53

Welcome everyone to the view "From The Editor's Chair". In this particular edition, Mark looks at each of the quarter-finals. It's time for play-off hockey everybody. 

Cardiff Devils (1) v Coventry Blaze (8): For me this is the most clear cut of the match-ups and I don't think many will disagree. Whilst the Blaze, who squeaked into the final eight because of the Clan's inadequacies, have a tendency to give the Devils a game and a bit: they lack the firepower to deny the Devils a place in the final four. Devils will ultimately be too strong and should secure their place with ease.

Key Players: Joey Martin (Devils), Jordan Pietrus (Blaze)

Manchester Storm (2) v Fife Flyers (7): Storm have had an excellent season, their first under the coaching of former Steelers and Clan Head Coach Ryan Finnerty. They have ability in all areas and can play with an edge as well beat you with skill. Fife have had an equally good season themselves but if Andy Iles is still unfit then that will make Storm's chances greater as much as Jordan Marr has been a capable enough deputy.

Key Players: Mike Hammond (Storm), Chase Schaber - should Iles be unfit to play (Flyers)

Sheffield Steelers (3) v Guildford Flames (6): Steelers go into the defence of their play-off trophy in good form indeed, having won their last four games. They will have the luxury of possibly being able to sit two imports and in Eric Neiley, have a man playing red hot. Flames have acquitted themselves well in their debut EIHL season, and if they can keep leg one close then will fancy their chances for an upset. But Steelers should do it.

Key Players: Eric Neiley (Steelers), Brian Stewart (Flames)

Nottingham Panthers (4) v Belfast Giants (5): After losing their way from December onwards, Panthers have started to perform especially when news broke that this would be Corey Neilson and David Clarke's final season apiece. And in play-off hockey they're usually pretty good too. Giants can blow hot and cold too but do have enough about them to ensure there is no fairy tale finish. This one could easily go either way, too close to call.

Key Players: Alexander Mokshantsev (Panthers), Sèbastian Sylvestre (Giants)

How do you see them unfolding?

Mark

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Fretter winner puts Flyers in a flap

Welcome to our match report from last night's game against the Fife Flyers.

After defeating Elite League Champions Cardiff in IAW on Sunday, Steelers headed north to meet one of this season's surprise packets for the last time in regulation play: Todd Dutiaume's Fife Flyers. Steelers showed a few changes from the side that won in Cardiff. Returning after a one game injury absence was British defenceman David Phillips, whilst Mathieu Roy was absent for personal reasons. Kieran Brown was added to the team as well. Fife were still missing Andy Iles so Jordan Marr continued in between the pipes with Andrew Little backing him up, Liam Heelis was back after a one game suspension but Ian Young and Evan Bloodoff remained sidelined with injury. Former Steelers defencemen Jim Jorgensen and Russ Moyer iced against their former team.

Again apologies for the short match report.

Fife had been in action just 24 hours before this game when they travelled to Nottingham and slipped to a 2-1 loss in the NIC. Marr had been brilliant in that game, denying the Panthers shooters time and time again whilst his team-mates lacked offence all game: recording an incredibly low 9 shots in the entire game.

Steelers dominated the shot count again in the first two periods albeit not as comprehensive as they had done in recent matches, but Marr was again proving to be a more than capable deputy for Iles with another good showing. Not bad for a player who had a goals against average of over 6 in three appearances in Elite League last season. The Fife offence was a bit more like itself and by the end of the second period, had exceeded their performance in Nottingham but for all this - the game remained scoreless going into that all important final period of play. Marr and his Steelers counterpart Ervins Mustukovs both playing well.

Then it really opened up in that final twenty with Mustukovs being tested by the Flyers but standing tall. Flyers thought they had broken the deadlock when Peter LeBlanc, who played a single game in the NHL for Washington Capitals in 2014-15, turned the puck home. However, after much deliberation and GLT being involved, the goal was wiped out with high sticks being given as the reasoning. It was a decision that has subsequently left many perplexed now as fans checked the rule book. Looking at that, there is nothing documented that it is a valid criteria, So a strange call indeed. Moments after the disallowed "goal", Fife went close again: Carlo Finucci hitting the post. Yet the tie was broken with just over six minutes left, and it was the Steelers who scored. Eric Neiley found Colton Fretter who with a quick release; found the top corner of Marr's goal. It was Colton's 20th of the season.

There were opportunities for the Steelers to extend it further after Fretter's goal with Ben O'Connor and Neiley both having chances to do just that. At the other end of the ice Mustukovs was shutting the door on the Flyers and time eventually expired on them to leave Steelers winners by the strange hockey score of 1-0. It was also Mustukovs' 9th shutout of the season and his 24th as a Steeler which matched the Steelers own Elite League record of a certain Jody Lehman. Two successive wins for the Steelers now, the race for a decent finishing position intensifies.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Flyers 0 Steelers 1

Steelers Scoring: Fretter 1+0, Neiley 0+1.

Flyers Scoring: None 

Shots On Goal:  Steelers 27 Flyers 29 

Powerplay: Steelers 0 from 1 (0% conversion), Flyers 0 from 2 (0% conversion)

Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 4 Flyers 2

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Mustukovs 29 Saves (1368), GAA: o.00 (2.36), Save Percentage: 100.00% (91.80%). 

Man of the Match: Eric Neiley (Steelers), Jordan Marr (Flyers)

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Big Match Preview: Fife (Away)

Welcome to our next match preview of the Steelers game.

After recording a stupendous road win at Ice Arena Wales, Steelers are back on the road in midweek as they play their penultimate away game of the season. It's a long away trip too as they go North of the Border to face this season's Gardiner Conference Champions:

It's a trip to "The Auld Barn" and the Fife Flyers lie in wait. Since their crowning as Gardiner Conference winners, Flyers have been up and down. Regular starter Andy Iles, who had been exceptional until picking up an injury that caused him to leave the Flyers game in the House Of Steel early, is still on the injured list. This means that Jordan Marr will probably be between the pipes unless Iles has fully recovered.

The game will also be the Flyers second game in as many nights as they are in Nottingham the night before. Could that prove a decisive factor in how the game will pan out? It conceivably could. Steelers need to again produce the goods as they still are within a shout of third place. That would be the message we would be preaching to the players if we were Paul Thompson. This could be a very close and tense game with both sides having firepower to score at will when given chances. Let's see eh?

My prediction? Steelers to take the game on visiting ice again, 4-2 is my call. What about you?

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Steelers ground injury-hit Flyers to go fourth

Welcome to our match report from last night's game against the Fife Flyers.

After losing a controversial game in Belfast on the Saturday night, Steelers headed into Sunday's game at the House Of Steel looking to arrest a two-game losing skid. It was an unchanged team for the Steelers which meant Zack Fitzgerald started for the second successive game, and on the wing. Flyers, who had overcome Nottingham on a penalty shot triumph, arrived in Sheffield with an injury hit roster. Todd Dutiaume's side were missing imports Ian Young, Dan Correale, Evan Bloodoff, former Steeler Brady Ramsay and Danick Gauthier as well as Brit Reece Cochrane. Starting netminder Andy Iles passed a late test and began the game despite concerns he would not finish it.

Steelers had conceded very early in their last two games, but it only took them 42 seconds to open the scoring. Matt Marquardt firing home his 26th goal of the season with a well taken wrist shot that Iles never got close to. Just over 30 seconds later Iles' night was over as he was replaced by Jordan Marr; the netminder showing his anger at being replaced but it was confirmed it was the injury which caused Dutiaume to make such an early decision. It became 2-0 midway through the period, Ben O'Connor flashing home a shot from the blue line which fizzed past Marr. It was Ben's 16th of the season. People were already thinking how many Steelers would rack up, and after failing to convert when offered a 5 on 3 powerplay, Steelers did make it 3-0 before the end of the period. Colton Fretter skating in on Marr and finishing consummately for his 15th of the season, goal timed at 16:23.

The onslaught continued into the middle period with Marr doing well to keep out as many efforts as he could. However, this period was less than three and a half minutes old when Steelers added a fourth on the night. Finnish defenceman Miika Franssila with a backhanded effort that evaded Marr for his second goal as a Steeler. Exactly two minutes later Steelers had gone nap, Mathieu Roy this time being the man on target with another backhand effort. Mathieu's 24th of the campaign. It was enough for Dutiaume as the Flyers coach called a timeout straight after this goal as he tried to stop the haemorrhaging and get his beleaguered troops some respite. Flyers had chances but they were finding Steelers not forgiving in defence and hungry in attack. A sixth goal came at 31:16, Liam Kirk was onto a loose puck and he homed in on Marr before dispatching his 8th goal of the season past him. Still there was time for more, and Flyers night was getting worse as they conceded a shorthanded effort for the Steelers seventh. With Cole Shudra sitting an interference minor, Steelers fashioned out a move and Fretter was on hand to score his second of the evening and goal number 16 this season.

By the time the third period began, Steelers had given Ervins Mustukovs the rest of the night off after the Latvian had saved all 15 shots that Flyers had put on him; Brad Day taking the cage for the final 20 minutes to big cheers. However less than a minute into this final period, the small band of Flyers fans had something cheer about as defenceman James Issacs fired a low shot beyond Day to break the double shutout which your correspondent here had inadvertently mentioned. Yet Steelers still wanted to add more goals but Marr was intent on not letting the goal tally reaching double figures. The final goal did come the Steelers way at 51:34, a rare goal from Tim Wallace when a Marr rebound landed at the forward's feet. It was only a 6th goal of the season for Tim but a first league goal in two months. No further scoring ensued afterwards, and Steelers enjoyed a routine 8-1 win: a result which saw them leapfrog their opponents into 4th.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Steelers 8 Flyers 1 

Steelers Scoring: O'Connor 1+3. Roy 1+2, Fretter 2+0, Kirk 1+1, Nelson 0+2, Franssila 1+0, Wallace 1+0, Marquardt 1+0, Aarssen 0+1, Valdix 0+1, Matheson 0+1, Shudra 0+1, Fitzgerald 0+1, Neiley 0+1.

Flyers Scoring: Issacs 1+0, Mosey 0+1, Schaber 0+1. 

Shots On Goal:  Steelers 46 Flyers 24 

Powerplay: Steelers 0 from 3 (0% conversion), Flyers 0 from 6 (0% conversion)

Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 14 Flyers 8

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Mustukovs 15 Saves (1202), GAA: o.00 (2.31), Save Percentage: 100.00% (91.80%). Day 8 Saves (27), GAA: 3.00 (2.27), Save Percentage: 88.90% (93.10%).

Man of the Match: Ben O'Connor (Steelers), James Issacs (Flyers)

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