Steelers score late to stun Panthers

Welcome to our match report from Saturday's game against the Panthers.

Steelers headed into game one of a home double header weekend with a lot of confidence in their ranks, they had won seven out of seven in their last home games so fancied their chances to make it eight against a Panthers side that has fallen away dramatically. The team news for Paul Thompson's men was again as you were, but with the addition of Kieran Brown for the first time since November. Panthers were missing Evan Mosey and Dan Spang saw Eric Lindhagen filled in on defence whilst Michael Garnett was given the start in the net ahead of Patrick Galbraith.

The short benched visitors took the lead early doors, great work from Raphael Bussieres and Jeff Brown down low saw the latter feed Ollie Betteridge who the Steelers had left all alone and the forward made no mistake. But it was a case of a right back at you as the Steelers equalised 24 seconds later at 2:16, Mark Matheson sent Liam Kirk down the left wing and he wristed an effort into Garnett's cage for his 7th of the season and third in as many games. Yet Panthers were winning a number of key battles, and performing much better than their previous visit so it came as no surprise that they ended the first period ahead. A shot from Lindhagen caromed off the back board and as Joonas Ronnberg planned to clear; the clearance hit Ervins Mustukovs and left Brown with a simple finish. Steelers cause was not helped further when defenceman Miika Franssila was left prone following a hit from Sauve, the Finn taking no further part in the game and Zack Fitzgerald then dropping back to a more familiar defensive slot.

Panthers had not allowed Steelers to get into any fluent rhythm and deservedly took a 3-1 less than six minutes into the second period. The puck was worked back to Zack Phillips at the right circle and the former NHL first round draft pick's one timer found the net. Steelers needed a way back into the game, and Panthers provided with it thanks to an horrendous line change which left Matt Marquardt with room on the right and he arrowed home a low shot that beat Garnett for the power forward's 21st of the season. Just after the half hour, the teams were level. With Tim Billingsley off for cross checking and Luke Pither for slashing, Steelers worked the puck around and Mathieu Roy supplied a delicious pass across the crease for Jonas Westerling to have an easy finish of his own for his 4th of the campaign.

Buoyed by this comeback, Steelers took the lead at 34:58 when Andreas Valdix dispossessed Robert Lachowicz in the Steelers defensive zone then skated down the wing before unwinding a shot that defeated Garnett for the Swede's 11th of the season. It also spelled the end of the night for Garnett, who hadn't had the best of evening's work, as he was replaced by the Dane Galbraith - cutting off a sorrowful figure as he made his way to the bench .

It was all to play for the final period, and Steelers almost extended their lead to 5-3 but Levi Nelson managed to hit the post instead of lighting the lamp. Panthers were still looking dangerous themselves as they sought an equalising strike, and with about six and a half minutes left in the game they got it. Scott Aarssen was in the box, serving an interference minor, and it was the ever impressive Russian Alexander Mokshantsev who nudged the puck home. Could either side get a regulation time winner? Valdix shot wide with 2:30 left and then came a pivotal penalty call against Billingsley for holding and it appeared marginal. Steelers launched a series of rushes, and in the final seconds the inspirational Matheson picked the pick up behind his own goal, skated up ice then played a pass out to Marquardt who returned the pass back to the defenceman who managed to get it over Galbraith and send the majority of the 8563 crowd delirious with just five seconds left. Steelers had won it in dramatic fashion.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Steelers 5 Panthers 4 

Steelers Scoring: Matheson 1+2, Marquardt 1+1, Valdix 1+0, Kirk 1+0, Westerling 1+0, Aarssen 0+1, Roy 0+1, Shudra 0+1, Fitzgerald 0+1, Neiley 0+1.

Panthers Scoring: Brown 1+2, Phillips 1+0, Mokshantsev 1+0, Betteridge 1+0, Lachowicz 0+1, Farmer 0+1, Sauvé 0+1, Bussieres 0+1.

Shots On Goal:  Steelers 26 Panthers 25

Powerplay: Steelers 2 from 6 (33% conversion), Panthers 1 from 2 (50% conversion)

Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 4 Panthers 12

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Mustukovs 21 Saves (987), GAA: 4.00 (2.26), Save Percentage: 84.00% (92.10%).

Man of the Match: Mark Matheson (Steelers), Jeff Brown (Panthers)

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Game Highlights: January

Welcome to your latest highlights package, which brings you the action from January 2018 to watch over and over again.

A New Year's Day win at Manchester Storm

Beating Belfast in the "O" - Game One of the Giants away Double Header

Losing to the Giants - Game two of the Giants away Double Header

Continental Cup Super Final Game 1 - Nomad Astana (full game)

Continental Cup Super Final Game 2 - Yunost Minsk (full game)

Continental Cup Super Final Game 3 - Ritten Sport (full game)

Seven Up Part 1: A win at home over Guildford

Seven Up Part 2: An away win at Edinburgh (The Cole Shudra Show)

Losing at Milton Keynes Lightning

One of the best home games in recent times, a 8-0 victory over Belfast

Challenge Cup Semi-Final First Leg, a win against Cardiff

More highlights to come next month.

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The Junior Report: Edition 15

Welcome to the latest Junior Report; an article penned by George - one of the blog's Junior Members. In this report, he looks back at the Challenge Cup Semi-Final first leg against Cardiff on Wednesday night.

The Steelers blew away the Cardiff devils in what was to be an excellent 6-2 performance in the first leg of the challenge cup semi final. The game being played at Ice Sheffield in front of a handful of fans was really good to watch, if you didn’t come from the Welsh capital that is. 

A great start to the night was courtesy of ex NHL’er Tim Wallace. Excellent skating down the wing broke through a lack lustre Cardiff defence and he sniped the Steelers into a one goal lead with a short handed marker. Minutes later, the Steelers doubled up! Good cycling of the puck around the zone ended up with Mark Matheson playing the puck across to Scott Aarssen whose thunderous one timer beat local lad Ben Bowns from the blue line, Bowns was in for what was to be a torrid night for him.

The Welsh side then halved the deficit. A Pope snipe beat Mustukovs high over the shoulder on the power play, to give them their first of the evening much to the delight of the devils fans who had made the three and a half hour trip down to sunny Attercliffe. They would cheer once more in the night, merely a consolation however. Before the end of the first period the Steelers gained another goal to give them a two goal lead on the night, Ben O’Connor with a slap shot from the blue line on a delayed penalty gave the Steelers a bit of breathing space along with a few people breathing a sigh of relief after the puck trickled past Bowns. 3-1 after one period.

The Steelers came out of the blocks very quickly. Mathieu Roy slotting in from very close range, gave the Steelers a three goal advantage. Tremendous work around the crease opened up a gap where all he had to do was slot it over the line with a simple tap in. 4-1. Steelers fifth came via Matt Marquardt who again had a simple task of redirecting the puck underneath the five hole of Bowns. The Steelers were yet again relentless, but you have to ask questions of this normally excellent Cardiff side. 5-1 end of the second.

The Steelers then added another, through Levi Nelson. Excellent skating by Jonathan Phillips opened up the back door we’re all Nelson had to do was simply tap it in, it went to a review but it was plain and simple. A clear goal although Cardiff were claiming the puck had gone into the net whilst the net was off, it was just a mere claim that did nothing to the outcome. 6-1. The Devils got their consolation with a short handed goal that was fired past Mustukovs via Haddad, the Steelers will want this one back however. A bit of a mix up at the back costing us, but hopefully it will mean nothing after the 7th of February. 

Half time in this one, Steelers 6-2 Devils.

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Big Match Preview: Home Double Header

Welcome to the preview of this weekend's games for the Steelers.

This weekend sees the Steelers play both matches at home in a rare home double header. With the team in good form, they can feel reasonably confident that a four point weekend is within their reach. They start the weekend on Saturday night against this side:

Yes it's the nearest and dearest back in town, the Nottingham Panthers. Panthers started the season brilliant, leading the title race and making the last 16 of the Champions Hockey League but they've mixed the sublime with the awful since then and currently are in an uncharacteristic 7th place in the overall standings going into the game on Saturday night. Steelers will obviously fancy heaping more misery on Corey Neilson's team having recorded back-to-back triumphs over them in the festive period. But that was then, Saturday could be totally different.

Their roster doesn't scream panic, it's just been damn inconsistent. They have a quality netminder in Patrick Galbraith, the offensive talents of Yann Sauve and goals from Brett Perlini and Mark Derlago not to mention GB internationalists Robert Farmer and Evan Mosey. Mathieu Gagnon provides the beef. A solid performance from Paul Thompson's men is again required to see off the Panthers. We can't afford to take the night off and think the game is already won.

Sunday night, and game two of the weekend sees the return of this team and they haven't had far to travel to come to S9:

It's the Maaannnchester Storm, a team we seem to be building up a decent rivalry with at the moment. Games are very eventful these with the Storm proving to be a typical blue collar Ryan Finnerty roster, combining a bit of skill with a fair bit of brawn. It'll be feisty for sure, and expect a few penalties to be shared between the two sides. They have some quality in Matt Beca and Mike Hammond, but players like captain Jay Rosehill, former NHLer Dane Byers and defenceman Linden Springer won't think twice about roughing it up as they aim to put the Steelers off their game. Discipline is going to be on point.

All in all, it promises to be an appetising weekend of hockey in the House Of Steel.

My predictions? Steelers to see off the Bears 4-2 on Saturday, and then complete a four point weekend by defeating the Storm in a tough 3-1 encounter on the Sunday. What do you think?

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Sublime Steelers down the Devils

Welcome to our match report from the midweek game against the Cardiff Devils.

After demolishing the Belfast Giants on Sunday, Steelers headed into Wednesday's Challenge Cup semi-final first leg against holders Cardiff at Ice Sheffield with a great deal of confidence. Zack Fitzgerald was available for selection again after finishing off a five game suspension and iced on the wing on the fourth line with Liam Kirk and Cole Shudra. Other than that, Steelers iced the same team that were in action the Giants. Cardiff were without suspended Gleason Fournier who was on the second game of two, but other than that were at full strength.

Which side would come out of the game the better ahead of next Wednesday's second leg?

The Devils had the first real chance of the game but Steelers were thankful to the crossbar to deny Joey Martin a powerplay strike as Andreas Jämtin sat a hooking minor. But given this let off, Steelers went up the other end of the ice and opened the scoring themselves shorthanded. The much maligned Tim Wallace beating Ben Bowns short side for the winger's 5th of the season. Just over a minute later the Steelers fans were celebrating again as the team went 2-0 ahead, a low one timer from the blue line by Scott Aarssen arrowed itself past Bowns after Eric Neiley and Miika Franssila had fashioned the chance. It was Scott's 3rd of the season. Yet Cardiff bounced back themselves and reduced the arrears to a single goal at 7:31 when Matt Pope fired home on a powerplay awarded for a tripping minor on Wallace.

Steelers though were unperturbed and ended the first period 3-1 ahead just over four minutes before the end of period buzzer sounded. Ben O'Connor, who scored twice against the Giants on Sunday, firing home his 13th of the season after Bowns had given up a rebound on a Mathieu Roy effort. Roy was the next to light the lamp as he put the Steelers 4-1 ahead just 1:25 after the restart when pressure eventually told on the Devils goal, Mathieu's 18th of the season. Cardiff were outshooting the Steelers but finding Ervins Mustukovs a formidable barrier and hard to breach, and as we entered the closing stages of that middle period: the Steelers scored an incredible fifth goal. Matt Marquardt was the man who got it, his 20th of the season, after a well engineered move.

More Devils pressure came in that final period as the visitors looked for a lifeline which would breathe new hope into what was becoming a very bad night at the office, but Steelers were solid as they resisted every offensive overture the Welsh side offered. Steelers only had four shots on Bowns in that same period but one of those was good enough to extend the lead to a remarkable 6-1 at 47:58. Levi Nelson scoring a 16th of the season via video review despite Devils' claims the net was off before the light came on. But you just knew Cardiff would get a second, and as Steelers temporarily switched off concentration on a powerplay: Joey Haddad netted. So Steelers go into IAW with a four goal advantage next Wednesday, will it be enough? Considering Devils are rarely beaten on home ice, it could be a tighter conclusion than it appears so far. The job is only half done.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Steelers 6 Devils 2

Steelers Scoring: Nelson 1+1, O'Connor 1+1, Matheson 0+2, Neiley 0+2, Aarssen 1+0, Roy 1+0, Wallace 1+0, Marquardt 1+0, Valdix 0+1, D,Phillips 0+1, Franssila 0+1, J.Phillips 0+1, Ronnberg 0+1.

Devils Scoring: Haddad 1+0, Pope 1+0, Morissette 0+1, Martin 0+1.

Shots On Goal:  Steelers 29 Devils 40

Powerplay: Steelers 1 from 4 (25% conversion), Devils 1 from 5 (20% conversion)

Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 10 Devils 8

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Mustukovs 38 Saves (224), GAA: 2.00 (2.22), Save Percentage: 95.00% (92.90%).

Man of the Match: Ervins Mustukovs (Steelers), Joey Haddad (Devils)

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