Storm Fight Back from Two Goals Down but Steelers Edge 4-3 Winner

Having claimed an important point last night in the Challenge Cup against the Panthers, attention turned to the visiting Sheffield Steelers. Arguably boasting one of the best attacking line-ups in the EIHL, Critchlow's squad would have to be at their very best if they wanted to secure a positive result on Sunday afternoon at the AO Arena.

It was the away side that lit up the scoreboard first, with 04:33 elapsed on the clock. A shot from Balmas was initially saved by DeRidder, but the puck kindly rebounded straight to the stick of Gettinger, who guided it home from just outside the crease. The Storm responded well, creating some chances of their own, with Dow coming the closest on an odd-man rush, missing by a fraction. The Steelers doubled their advantage at 14:22, just as their power play had ended. An accurate pass from Balmas down low found Tate, who fired into an empty back-post spot. The deficit was halved not long after at 17:31 on the power play, as Maksimovich latched onto another rebound and roofed the puck high above Greenfield, with assists from Cutler and defenceman Dow. 

Storm came out of the locker room all guns blazing in the middle period, putting a lot of pressure on the visitors. It was, however, Gettinger with his second goal of the game who made it 1-3 at 25:39 after a high forecheck forced a turnover behind the net. A well-placed shot from Busby brought the Storm within one as he beat Greenfield from a tight angle at 35:26, smartly assisted by Cutler. An equaliser nearly came on several occasions, but some unlucky bounces and bobbling pucks in the Steelers' favour denied them. A rocket of a shot from Gilmour, with just seconds remaining, lasered past a helpless Greenfield at 39:40 to make it a 3-3 game heading into the intermission with assists on the goal going to Maksimovich and Dow.

Manchester had large spells of possession during the early stages of the final period, creating some good opportunities on Greenfield's net. It was a similar story at the other end of the ice, with DeRidder making a string of incredible saves to keep the game tied.

The deadlock was eventually broken by Tait, whose low, quick-release shot found its way through DeRidder at 58:11. A frantic final minute, in which the Storm pushed for an equaliser, proved fruitless as the Steelers held on for a hard-fought 4-3 win in Group A of the Challenge Cup.

By: Kristian Stokwisz