Sheffield Steelers v Frolunda Gothenburg - CHL Matchday 4 Match Report

Matchday 4 in the Champions Hockey League as the Steelers Host Frolunda.

Sheffield Steelers – 1
Levi Nelson - 2nd (PP)

Frolunda Gothenburg – 4
Elias Falth - 1st (PP), 3rd (PP)
Artturi Lehkonen - 3rd
Ryan Lasch - 3rd

The Biggest team in European hockey came to town and Sheffield gave them more than a game. Frolunda were gifted with a power play opportunity when Mathieu Roy was called 2+2 for high sticks but after watching it back shouldn't have been given and even at the time we all knew it shouldn't have been given. Frolunda made it count at 16:35 when Elias Falth fired a slap shot that beat Tyler Plante down low to give the visitors a 1-0 lead which they then took into the 1st interval too.

Real end to end stuff with penalties getting called left right from centre but both teams just got on with it. Sheffield managed to level the game with just over 4 minutes left in the period and on the man advantage when Jeff Legue was able to throw the puck in front of goal to find Levi Nelson all alone and re-directed past Lars Johansson to make it a 1-1 hockey game at 35:50 and erupt the Sheffield Arena. The home faithful was more than happy going into the second break all tied up against one of the top teams in Europe.

1-1 going into the third period and all to play for with just 20 minutes left but the home side just couldn't find a way through despite having chance after chance. Frolunda took the lead again at 45:01 when Artturi Lehkonen shot went through the legs of Plante for a 2-1 lead. The visitors made it 3-1 at 50:22 when O'Connor couldn't get hold of the puck to get it cleared out the zone and Ryan Lasch capitalized as he picked up the puck turned and shot past Tyler Plante. Frolunda finished of the scoring at 58:26 when straight off the draw on the man advantage Elias Falth scored his second of the night when he fired a slap shot that beat Plante through traffic and it was Frolunda who won the game 4-1 taking home all 3 points and toping the group with maximum points.

FINAL SCORE: Sheffield Steelers 1-4 Frolunda Gothenburg

Fantastic experience to be in the Champions Hockey League, some fantastic games to watch and really hope were in it again next year and you never know we might get a bit of an easier group. Steelers return to domestic action on Sunday when they travel to Cardiff to take on the Devils in the Challenge Cup.

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Frolunda Gothenburg v Sheffield Steelers - CHL Matchday 1 Match Report

Matchday 1 in the Champions Hockey League as the Steelers travel to Frolunda.

Frolunda Gothenburg – 9
Henrik Tommernas - 1st (PP), 3rd, 3rd (PP)
Mats Rosseli-Olsen - 2nd (SH)
Artturi Lehkonen - 3rd
Patrik Karlsson - 3rd (PP)
Robin Figren - 3rd (PP)
Johan Sundstom - 3rd
Sebastian Stalberg - 3rd (PP)

Sheffield Steelers– 1
Colton Fretter - 3rd (PS)

Steelers made their Champions Hockey League debut against one of the best teams in Europe and they certainly held their own in the first 40 minutes of the contest. It took until 17:10 for the home side to take the lead while on the man advantage Henrik Tommernas opened the scoring with an absolute bullet from the blue line that took a slight touch of the stick of Mosienko and it just beat Tyler Plante despite the Steelers netminders getting some on it. Steelers gave there absolute everything and were unlucky not to go into the break all square but Frolunda went in leading 1-0.

Steelers carried on where they left off after the break but at time just couldn't find that one bounce but while short handed it was Frolunda who struck again at 25:19. When Tyler Plante tried to play the puck out but Jace Coyle was the unfortunate one caught with the turnover and Mats Rosseli-Olsen picked up the puck before creeping it through the legs of Plante on the backhand. Steelers carried to press and defend as a unit but went into the second intermission 2-0 down but the way they had played at the moment they certainly didn't look out of place against Frolunda.

Into the third period and the floodgates opened and the home side scored a 3rd goal at 41:49 when a shot deflected out to the stick of Artturi Lehkonen and he nicely slotted his shot past Plante at his near post. It was soon 4-0 and we was treated to what was possibly the goal of the night when Tommernas skated behind the Steelers goal before finishing of a beautiful wrap around at 43:35. Straight off the face-off Nelson ended up sitting for four minutes and it was 5-0 at 44:18 when Tommernas shot from the blue and Patrik Karlsson perfectly re-directed it past the Steelers netminders and still on the power play. It was 6-0 at 45:01 when Frolunda showed hockey at it's finest when Robin Figren had the puck laid on a plate in front of goal and he coolly lifted it over the glove of Plante. It was 7-0 at 47:42 and another unlucky bounce for the Steelers this time a shot deflected of the skate of Ben O'Connor and as Plante went one way Johan Sundstrom finished it into the open net. At 50:59 Steelers were given the opportunity to make history when Fretter was taken out on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot by the officials, Colton Fretter also took the shot and performed a beautiful toe drag to beat Johansson top shelf to score the Steelers first ever goal in the CHL to send the travelling fans mental despite still being down 7-1. It was 8-1 at 55:03 when Tommernas completed his hat-trick with a bullet of a slap shot that went in off the post on the man advantage. The home side finished of the scoring at 59:08 again on the man advantage when Sebastian Stalberg fired a sweet wrist shot to beat Plante from the slot to give Frolunda a 9-1 victory.

FINAL SCORE: Frolunda Gothenburg 9–1 Sheffield Steelers

It's safe to say poor discipline was the downfall of the Steelers and it's something Paul Thompson certainly needs to address ahead of Saturdays trip over to Finland to face JYP Jyvaskyla in our second CHL game. If we play like we did for the first 40 minutes on Saturday and address the number of poor penalties taken there is no reason we cant go and take a point or two back to Sheffield with us. Next game then is Saturday versus JYP Jyvaskyla with 3pm face-off UK TIME.

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CHL - The Stage for the CHL Is Set

The CHL draw has been made and the Steelers are ready! As are we

The Champions Hockey League draw has been made and the Steelers will face Swedish Elite League side Frolunda Gothenberg and Finish Liiga side JYP Jyvaskyla in Group 14.

The dates for the game are yet to be set but I'm sure it wont be too long till its arranged and here is a bit of history on our CHL opponents.

The first out of the hat was Swedish club Frölunda Indians Gothenburg of the SHL. In 1995 they played in the second tier of Swedish hockey, the Allvenskan.

They were originally founded as long ago as 1938 and became independent in 1984. They play out of the Scandanavium arena which holds 12044 people. When this building is being used for other events they play at Frolundaborg in Western Sweden and overall they have had the highest attendance in the league for over a decade. Indeed they set a Swedish record for 11,688 in 2007-08.

Their most famous players are Henrik Lundqvist (NYR), Erik Karlsson(Ottawa), Daniel Alfredsson(Ottawa/Detroit), Per-Johan Axelsson, Louis Eriksson, Alexander Steen, Lars Eller, Mikkel Bödker and Viktor Stålberg.

Honours

National Championships:
3 – 1965, 2003, 2005 

LAST FIVE SEASONS:

2014-15: 2^nd regular season, Semi-finals, CHL Finals
2013-14: 2^nd regular season, Quarter-finals
2012-13: 6^th regular season, Quarter-finals
2011-12: 5^th regular season, Quarter-finals
2010-11: 9^th regular season, out of playoffs

The second European team Steelers play is JYP Jyväskylä of Finland is a club in the SM-Liiga, founded in 1923, is a treasure for the people of city of Jyvaskyla, in central Finland. The club achieved promotion to the league in the spring of 1985, and has played there ever since. For the last few years JYP has been one of the most successful clubs in Finland. In the last five seasons, JYP has won the regular season three times and the league championship twice (2012 & 2009). JYP won the European Trophy in 2014.

In 2010 they entered into a partnership agreement with the Boston Bruins of the NHL to enable transfer of players and for development.

Honours

National Championships: 
2 – 2009, 2012

European Trophy: 
1 – 2014

LAST FIVE SEASONS:

2014–15: 4^th regular season, Semi-finals
2013–14: 5^th regular season, Quarter-finals
2012–13: 3^rd regular season, Semi-finals
2011–12: 4^th regular season, Champions
2010–11: 1^st regular season, Semi-finals
2009–10: 1^st regular season, Semi-finals

Sheffield Steelers have also signed Jason Hewitt on a one year extension which will make it his 11th season with the Season and will see him be awarded with his testimonial through out the season. Welcome back Jason.

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