Steelers reign over Capitals to go third

Welcome to our match report from the latest Sheffield Steelers game.

Steelers headed into their final home regular season game against with ambitions of a decent finish in their sights. Should they win, as expected, and results go their way then Steelers would go into the final day in third place. Team news saw the return of John Armstrong after a lengthy injury absence, his first appearance since the 27th of December. His addition allowed Steelers to ice a full complement of imports with Mathieu Roy absent on compassionate leave, and Andreas Jämtin still in Sweden following the birth of his daughter. Brad Day was given the start in goal as Ervins Mustukovs was rested ahead of a huge game in Manchester on the Sunday. As for the Capitals, who have had another season from hell it has to be said, could only ice 10 imports and 16 outskaters with the highly-rated Jordan McLaughlin again filling in between the pipes for the injured Tyler Beskorowany who impressed a few of us in the teams previous encounter here on Valentine's Day.

Needing a quick start to settle down, something that didn't happen in the Valentine's Day game, Steelers were two goals to the good before a minute had ticked over on the game clock. The game opener came after 44 seconds, Robert Dowd firing the puck across McLaughlin and into the corner from low in the left circle following a setup by Levi Nelson and Andreas Valdix predictably. It was Robert's 22nd of the season and fourth in his last three games. In the next shift, from the face off, Steelers doubled the lead: Eric Neiley given room on the left wing to pick a spot for his 7th of the season since joining the club in January. We then had a bit of gap, which allowed Capitals to create a few opportunities of their own, before the third goal arrived at 7:12. This time it was Ben O'Connor with a rocket of a slapshot that zoomed into McLaughlin's net from out on the left wing, and for a 18th goal of the season.

Then two quick fire goals in 41 seconds ensured Steelers would go nap at 9:31. At 8:50 it became 4-0 when Valdix got a redirect onto a Scott Aarssen for the Swede's 15th goal of the season and then number five hit the net at 9:31, Neiley with his second of the contest and 8th of the season after good work from linemates Jonas Westerling and Colton Fretter and that's how the opening period ended despite the Capitals outshooting the Steelers by one shot, 15 to 14. A sixth Steelers goal arrived at 22:46, some superb work by the returning Armstrong around the back of McLaughlin's goal before he teed up the arriving Miika Franssila who tucked home his 5th Steelers goal of the campaign. However there was to be no shutout for Day as Capitals got their first marker 26 seconds after Franssila's goal, Sergei Banashkov with a close range finish. It became 6-2 at 26:24, Banashkov this time turning provider for Denis Trakhanov to fire a well taken effort into the net. It was good reward for the battling Capitals.

However those two goals for the visitors seemed to get the Steelers back in the mood for more goals and they added a seventh on the night; skipper Jonathan Phillips and Liam Kirk, who was again being watched by NHL scouts, combining for Cole Shudra to beat McLaughlin for his first home goal but 4th of the season: all of which have come against the same opposition. It was extended to 8-1 on 31:51, O'Connor joining Neiley on two goals for the night with a blueline effort that found a way through to light the lamp, goal number 19 for Benny this season. There was still time for a ninth before the second period expired and it produced a hat-trick goal for Neiley. Fretter and O'Connor with the creation work and Neiley applying the finish for his 9th goal this season. Could the Steelers add more? The answer came with two further goals midway through the early stages of the final period to finish the scoring for the evening. At 46:32, Dowd joined fellow GB internationalist O'Connor on two goals for the night and collecting his 23rd of the season: Neiley getting an assist for his fourth point of the game. Then 28 seconds later, a scramble in front of McLaughlin saw Nelson get to a loose puck and net his 20th of the season.

No further goals followed after that, and it ended up a comprehensive win in the Steelers last home game of the regular season against a plucky Capitals who gave it their all in a game that nobody really gave them much hope in. With Belfast crashing to a 8-1 loss in Cardiff and Fife slipping to a surprising 5-2 loss at 11th placed Milton Keynes, Paul Thompson's climbed two places to third and if they can pick up a win in Manchester on Sunday then they will face the 6th ranked side which could be anyone from Belfast, Fife or Guildford as it stands. But the Storm won't be an easy finish.

Time for the statistics:

Goals: Steelers 11 Capitals 2 

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

Capitals Scoring: Banashkov 1+1, Trakhanov 1+0, Lawrence 0+1, Boyd 0+1.

Shots On Goal:  Steelers 42 Capitals 31

Powerplay: Capitals 0 from 2 (0%)

Penalty Minutes called: Steelers 6 Capitals 2

Steelers Goaltender Stats: Day 29 Saves (101), GAA: 2.00 (2.60), Save Percentage: 93.50% (91.80%).

Man of the Match: Eric Neiley (Steelers), Jordan McLaughlin (Capitals)

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From The Editor's Chair: Edition 52

Welcome to another column by the Editor, this time Mark offers his own personal review of the season for each of the 12 Elite League Clubs.

Cardiff Devils: Back to back Champions! The Devils started this season slowly with CHL commitments but once they got into a groove they were unstoppable. Once more Andrew Lord had a team that typified the word team with solidity throughout. The only downside? Losing the Challenge Cup Final to Belfast on "home" ice. That defeat will rankle long into the night.

Manchester Storm: This season's surprise packet, and what an amazing first season in Cheshire it has been for Ryan Finnerty. He recruited size and skill and kept some key components from the previous roster, and it has served them well. At one stage it looked like they would tail off but they bounced back and are many people's pick to win the play-off crown in Nottingham.

Belfast Giants: It's been a season of many ups and downs for Adam Keefe and the Giants this season; with the undoubted high being the Challenge Cup Final win. They have had a number of injuries this season which have caused them to be lower than they wanted to be, but all in all it's been a season of restructuring which can only bode well for the future.

Fife Flyers: Another surprise packet yet deservedly crowned as Gardiner Conference champions. The Flyers have been the most consistent side all season north of the border; and Todd Dutiaume has to have his hat tipped for some excellent recruitment. The question now remains: can Flyers build on this or will it prove to be a one trick pony? 

Sheffield Steelers: It's been a very infuriating season for the Steelers fans as the team has blown hot and cold all season. One minute they could be brilliant, the next they could be absolutely awful. Some of the recruitment has been a bit debatable and Paul Thompson knows he has to get this right next season if the calls for his removal don't get any louder than what they are now.

Guildford Flames: It's been a very good opening season for the Surrey based side. They have impressed at home and away and in Calle Ackered seem to found a diamond of an offensive defenceman. If they can build on this and keep improving then there is no reason why they can't be challenging for honours in seasons to come.

Nottingham Panthers: Like the Steelers, it's been a season of underachievement for the Panthers. They enjoyed a very impressive start to the season and an excellent CHL campaign but from December onwards; the season went into freefall. They will miss Corey Neilson who leaves the organisation at the end of this season and also David Clarke who retires from playing at the same time. Neilson's replacement is key otherwise dark days lie in wait.

Braehead Clan: Another team that has underachieved this season. Clan spent the majority of the close season looking for a new head coach and when they finally got around to appointing one, John Tripp, they were then scrabbling around for players to fill out their roster. Clan fans aren't happy, they do deserve much better than this. This is a harsh lesson they need to learn from and ensure it doesn't happen again.

Coventry Blaze: A further season of mediocrity at the Blaze with Danny Stewart seemingly unable to improve on last season's disaster. He seems to be on the last chance saloon which could spell trouble if he doesn't arrest it soon. Fans are disgruntled with the management at the Club, things apparently coming to a head when they (the board) allegedly told season ticket holders that they would buy those ST's back as they didn't want them to attend games anymore. Something has to change there, and quickly. 

Dundee Stars: Dundee's season was thrown into chaos before a puck was dropped when after signing the majority of the roster, then head coach Marc LeFebvre left to go back to North America. Former Hull and Manchester player-coach Omar Pacha was brought in and has given the team stability without silverware yet. Pacha has recently signed a new three-year deal on Tayside so it will be interesting to see what he does with full control. A bold move forward.

Milton Keynes Lightning: It's been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde season for the second of the Elite League newcomers. One minute they have been good, the next they have struggled and struggled a lot. It's been a steep learning curve but I think they will come out of this on the right side once they have stabilised. Former NHL assistant coach Doug McKay arrives next season to replace GB coach Peter Russell who is rumoured to join the Panthers. If McKay can make a positive impact in Buckinghamshire then the sky's the limit.

Edinburgh Capitals: What can we say about the Capitals, another season of horror for those long suffering Capitals supporters. It all sounded so good when they appointed former NHL star Dmitri Khristich as their new head coach and signed a shed load of Russians/Kazakhstanis. But the dream ticket failed to materialise and the season headed into free-fall quickly. A new management structure has been announced a few days ago, but is it enough? It can't get any worse...

Hope you enjoyed this. 

Mark

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Big Match Preview: Edinburgh and Manchester

Welcome to our latest preview of the latest Steelers games.

It's the final weekend of the regular season and although the top two places have been confirmed, there's still plenty of hockey to be played to see whom finishes where in the top eight. Steelers could finish anywhere between third and seventh, that's how intriguingly poised everything is.

The final weekend begins on Saturday with a home game when we face a team that has struggled all season long, on and off the ice.

The poor old Edinburgh Capitals roll into the House Of Steel; with many people predicting another pummelling for the visitors. It's been another traumatic campaign for those long suffering Capitals fans which before the season started; promised so much with the capture of former NHLer Dmitri Khristich as their new head coach. But as become the norm, it didn't work out and soon the Capitals were being cast adrift at the bottom of the table. Hopes are again high for next season with a new management structure announced this week but one can only feel for the supporters who have witnessed a further year of underachievement.

After playing the Capitals on the Saturday, Steelers conclude their regular season games with a short trip. It's a visit to the following:

We go to the Shelter to face another testing encounter against Ryan Finnerty and his second placed Storm who have exceeded all expectations this season, and are a few people's dark horses to take the play-off crown. The Storm have toughness and skill in abundance which has helped them achieve so much this season, and Steelers will be in for a game when they arrive in Altrincham on Sunday. It won't be an easy way to finish, and Paul Thompson will be hoping his team comes out of it injury-free ahead of play-off action which follows the week after.

My predictions? It will be a routine home win on Saturday, Steelers to win that one 8-1 against those hapless Caps. Sunday will definitely be tougher, Storm to take that one 3-2 after overtime or in a penalty shootout. What about you?

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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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