Sheffield Steelers faced a tough challenge at Utilita Arena last night as they hosted the current league leaders for a tantalising Challenge Cup fixture. Steelers fans were out in full force bleeding orange with a packed stadium.
Manchester Storm headed to Sheffield with high hopes that they would break an unfortunate streak, as the team have failed to win here since September 2018.
Starting the match was an almost immediate trip to the penalty box for Steelers newcomer Mitchell Balmas, signed in early September to #92. Storm demonstrated exactly why they are at the top of the league as they showed some strong possession and shots on goal in the first 15 minutes.
However, in the last five minutes, the Steelers started getting desperate with more rogue shots on goal. Storm retaliated in turn with some big hits, sending Johnny Corneil to the penalty box. Despite an exhilarating performance from both sides, the first period finished at 0-0.
Storm scored just two minutes into the second period, sparking a tense period of play with some strong defence from Manchester and big hits from Sheffield. Although it initially looked like there was no way through for the Steelers, the tides changed once Storm’s CJ Garcia got sent to the penalty box. The Sheffield side gained a dominant possession and after a few minutes of fraught action, fan favourite and upcoming captain #75 Robert Dowd backhanded a rebounding puck into the back of the net with just 16 seconds left on the clock, equalising the scores just before the third period.
The third period began with impressive defence from both teams, most notably some incredible saves from Storm’s goaltender Evan Weninger. Nevertheless, Storm failed to keep up with the Steelers’ consistency, stamina, and positioning, and in the 43rd minute, the Steelers pulled away with a power-play goal from #25 Brett Neumann.
This was followed up rapidly by #10 Josh Nicholls, raising the newcomer to three goals scored in the last five matches. The mighty 3-1 lead was followed with three more goals from #93 Balmas (51:03), #29 Scott Allen (53:57), and finally #6 Kevin Tansey (58:38), granting a spacious 6-1 lead to the Steelers. Overall, it was a thrilling third period for the Steelers after an explosive first period and nerve-wracking second.
Goals from the Steelers 6-1 win over the Manchester Storm in Challenge Cup action. pic.twitter.com/59OoTTFBiA
— Sheffield Steelers | #BleedOrange (@steelershockey) October 11, 2023
Man of the match went to #88 Marc-Olivier Vallerand for the Steelers with a magnificent four assists. On the other side, Manchester’s went to #48 Andreas Heier for Storm’s first and only goal of the match.
After overcoming some early struggles, it was a fantastic match for the Steelers. Storm played a brilliant game with some really impressive defenders and goaltenders, but it just wasn’t enough to stop the Steelers’ aggressive attackers from getting the better of them this time.
The Steelers will next host on 15 October as Dundee Stars head to Sheffield.
Image Credit: Sheffield Steelers via Twitter/X
