The Steelers certainly have their hands on their Midlands rivals.
Sheffield fans, who watch the web feed at home, would be forgiven for ringing the bell, “Can we play you every week? – and it’s kind of like that anyway, their team having faced Blaze in three of the last five games.
However, there was a downside. Sheffield wasted a 6-1 lead to 6-5 in a messy final session, before scoring a seventh.
The last 15 minutes was something the Steelers will want to forget.
The game had been open from the start, with plenty of chances and mistakes – Sam Duggan almost deflecting into his own net.
The Steelers couldn’t capitalize on a 5-on-3 power play but continued to create clearer opportunities, Josh Waller was saved by a glove by Jordan Hedley, who also stopped.
Solder Olden one-on-one, while at the other end Curtis Warburton blocked a solo effort from Ross Venus.
Sublime talent from Brendan Connolly broke the deadlock at 2:16 pm.
The sniper had approached the net from the left flank and when he couldn’t find a pass to a teammate, he was directing the puck under the bar with ultimate precision.
In a period that Kevin Schulze called “sloppy”, Sheffield had at least nudged ahead. Warburton was forced to make three saves in the opening 90 seconds of the second period – and it was that platform that prompted the Steelers to strike back, with Tanner Eberle scoring a neat, back
postponed at 9:56 p.m.
Blaze refused to lie down and Mike Hammond shot in response, low and hard, from the right at 26:10.
But Bálint Pákozdi, reveling in the ice time he was given, sent a pass through the top of the crease that set up first Adrian Saxrud Danielsen then Jérémy Beaudry, who brought home for 3-1. .
Two minutes later, Waller – perhaps uncomfortable after being ruled out of Britain’s national squad – curled a puck on Hedley to give his side a three-goal cushion.
It seemed over when Eberle once scored a slap at home on the power play at 36; 33.
That 4-1 mid-session slaughter suggested a conservative approach was needed from the Steelers in the final 20 minutes.
But Liam Kirk hadn’t scored and after hard work to get the puck to goal, he made a forehand number six at 42:55.
Then it all started to go wrong.
Mac Howlett jumped in for a goal ahead of Tristan Keck.
Saxrud Danielsen suddenly popped a fuse – hitting Keck in the face for what seemed like little reason. The d-man received a 2 + 10 penalty and his team paid the price, Duggan reduced the deficit to 6-4.
The score was now much closer than needed, from Sheffield’s perspective.
And when Hammond went 6-5 at 58:33, questions were asked about how the momentum had been dropped.
Fortunately, an empty goal for Connolly calmed nerves.
The Steelers face the Nottingham Panthers on Saturday and Manchester on Sunday, ahead of the semi-finals.
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Source: www.thestar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-22 20:24:56
