The Storm welcomed rivals Sheffield to the building for successive home fixtures, with the Yorkshire outfit exacting revenge through a 5–2 victory.

Familiarity between the sides was palpable in the opening period, with both defensive units neutralising any attacking chances that briefly materialised. It was a familiar figure who broke the deadlock, as Watling opened the scoring on the power play. A well-set special teams unit from Sheffield maintained strong zone pressure before converting in the 15th minute, Watling one-timing a slap shot beyond Weninger at the near post, with the assists going to Southhorn and Heard. The Storm’s best chances of the opening twenty fell to Ergang, who from a tight angle whistled the puck wide of the net with McAdam beaten.

The second period got off to a rocky start from the hosts’ perspective, as a wrist shot from distance somehow evaded everyone to double Sheffield’s lead, with the goal credited to Tait in the 25th minute. A key moment followed almost immediately, as a glorious chance fell to Storm top points scorer Haden on the next phase of possession, but he was unable to convert, McAdam making a solid blocker save. That moment proved decisive as Sheffield seized the momentum. A low pass from Heard found Ritchie alone in the slot, and his quick snap shot slipped through the wickets of Weninger to extend the lead to three. Just 16 seconds later it was 4–0, with Watling expertly tracking the rebound to tap in his second of the evening. A beautiful piece of skating and puck handling from Dowd then crafted a fifth goal, as Juusola was teed up between the face-off dots to convert in the 39th minute.

The Storm took to the ice for the final period with pride largely all that remained to play for. A noticeably stronger forecheck, however, ensured McAdam and the Steelers would not complete the shutout. A determined net-front effort from Haden and Hinam kept the puck loose long enough for Welsh to glide in unmarked at the back post and get on the scoresheet. Manchester added a second later in the period through Ulett, once again profiting from a more substantial net-front presence. While it briefly stirred hope of the most unlikely of comebacks among the Storm faithful, a professional closing performance from Sheffield prevented the Storm from fashioning any further scoring chances.

Words by: Callum Schora