The Steelers left the ice victorious last night after beating Manchester Storm 5-2 at the Utilita arena.
This win puts them two points clear of Cardiff Devils, at the top of the Elite Ice Hockey League.
Manchester Storm began with a strong starting six made up of Jason Bacashihua in goal and Lind Springer, Dallas Ehrhardt, Scott Simmonds, Adam Brady and Frankie Melton in the first line.
Meanwhile, Barry Brust, Kevin Schulze, David Phillips, Tanner Eberle, Justin Hodgman and Evan Mosey made up the starting six for Sheffield Steelers.
The face-off was at 7 pm, and from the initial puck-drop, Manchester Storm was able to challenge the Steelers’ defence. But it wasn’t enough to stop Sheffield Steelers from coming out on top.
Fans were frustrated at the initial decision from the referee to disallow a goal from Marco Vallerand at 1.11.
However, after a video review, the decision was overturned, and the Steelers had their first goal, assisted by John Armstrong and Kevin Schulze.
The Steelers held onto the lead for a short while, but Storm managed to get the better of them a 2.05 and their number 50, Jared Vanwormer, quickly shot the puck behind fan favourite Barry Brust.
Justin Hodgman responded with the Steelers’ second goal at 4.08, assisted by Mosey and Eberle, and the squad were back in the lead once again.
Eberle claimed his second assist of the night, setting up an open-net goal from Tommaso Traversa at 18.29.
The goal ensured the Steelers had a comfortable advantage by the end of the first period.
Manchester Storm changed their goalkeeper to James Downie at the start of the second period in hopes of making a comeback.
This change wasn’t enough as Martin Latal assisted Vojtech Polak to create the Steelers’ fourth goal of the match at 32.47.
After a strong start in the second period, Barry Brust couldn’t quite manage to make the block at 38.45, and Dallas Ehrhardt scored Storm’s second goal on the Power-play.
Kevin Schulze was able to bring the team back to a three-goal advantage at 39.41, with Vallerand on the assist.
After another eventful period, the Steelers still finished in a good position to steal the victory. Both sides fought extremely well in the third half despite no goals added to the scoresheet. Manchester storm made many attempts to try and claw their way back, but it was the Steelers who grabbed the two points.
The victory means the Steelers have won 13 out of 14 EIHL games.
Man of the match went to Kevin Schulze after his involvement in the first goal and an impressive overall performance.
Sheffield Steelers face Glasgow Clan in their next match, where they will be hoping to add to their long list of victories this season.
