The Sheffield Steelers found themselves victorious once again last night following an accomplished win over the Nottingham Panthers in the Challenge Cup.
The Steelers hosted the Fife Flyers’ first trip to the Utilita Arena this season, with the Flyers travelling off the back of a victory against the Guildford Flames in the Cup. The Steelers looked to continue their six-match long consecutive win streak to prolong their top-of-the-league status.
Undeterred by the initial face-off win, the Flyers were promptly shut down as the Steelers commanded the momentum of the game, effectively grasping control within the early minutes of the first period through their strong offensive advance, which led to them banking an early goal.
Asserting their dominance almost immediately, the Steelers managed to expertly inflict a three-goal toll upon the Flyers in the space of just 20 minutes, setting a difficult foundation for the opposition to recover from.
Juusola added to his tally firstly with an assist, serving a successful slot of the puck across to Petgrave, enabling him to meticulously pelt it past Owen’s left side to put the Steelers ahead less than two minutes in.
After securing their first goal, the Steelers only grew more daring on the attack, commanding possession throughout and eager for another opening to score, with Fyfe’s defenseman Desrocher’s minor tripping penalty allowing the Steelers to seek out this opportunity during the period of the power play.
Dominating on the defence, an interception from the Steelers proved advantageous as Nevalainen set up a pass across the slot to Juusola, who opened his account with a compelling shot down the middle, skimming the hands of Owen to meet the back of the away net.
The Steelers continued to pressure the Flyers’ defence, with a beautifully orchestrated offensive play between Watling & Tansley, partnering to deliver the puck across to Juusola with him slotting it powerfully past Owen’s right side, earning Juusola his second goal of the night.
The Steelers persisted to attain a fourth in the final minute, with an ambitious attempt sliding just wide of the net to seal the fate of the first period.
Despite being awarded two penalties in the first half, the Flyers struggled to gain a chance to exploit their advantages on the counter, evidently finding it impossible to break down the Steelers’ defence.
With the Flyers suffering a three-goal depletion, they approached the second period with more conviction, striving to find their way back into the game and searching for a possible chance to make an impact on the scoreline. However, the Steelers remained the stronger of the two sides, with a bounty of attempts on goal due to their offensive brilliance.
Apprehension among the Flyers rose even further as Hawerchuck was expelled to the bench after receiving a penalty, causing additional strain to the goalless side and inviting further pressure from the Steelers.
However, the home side was unable to create any clear opportunities and capitalise upon the weakened squad.
Nonetheless, the Steelers emerged back on the attacking front swiftly, with an interception from Shudra after pressing in the Flyers’ own half cunningly converted into a pass to Whistle, who tucked the puck snuggly into the back of the net.
Approaching the third period, Owen displayed his excellence, keeping the Steelers to just one goal despite the 55 attempts on goal in the 60-minute span. The one and only goal of the final third was due to Tansey’s efforts, as he fed the puck to Watling which saw a deflection off of a Flyers’ stick seamlessly sneak past the side of the keeper.
A mistake from the Steelers also led to a Flyers attack but the visitors couldn’t seem to grasp the finishing product they required, evidently proving costly in the final score.
60.00 | STEEELLEERRSSS WINNN
Dominance from the first minute for the Steelers!
5-0#BleedOrange | #SHEvsFIF pic.twitter.com/5pgKzTxrH6
— Sheffield Steelers (@steelershockey) October 22, 2023
With a two-minute penalty also being awarded to the Flyers, they sought to take advantage of the Steelers’ depleted team. Chances continued to prove a rarity for the Flyers as they failed to snag a consolation goal.
A late surge from the Steelers found them driving for a sixth, as they continued to counter and made numerous attempts on goal.
With the Steelers slashing the Flyers by five goals to nil, they stake their position at the top of the Elite League, hoping to further extend their lead on Saturday 30 October, where they once again face the Nottingham Panthers in their own territory.
Sheffield Steelers 5 – 0 Fife Flyers
Man of the Match: Mikko Juusola (Steelers), Shane Owen (Flyers)
Image Credit: @steelershockey via X
