This Remembrance weekend the Sheffield Steelers take on the Glasglow Clan at the Utilita Arena.
This Remembrance Weekend the Sheffield Steelers faced off against the Glasgow Clan at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield for the first time this season. Before the puck dropped, two local cadets were welcomed by the arena to lay a wreath in the centre of the ice and join the fans as they observed a two-minute silence out of respect for those lost in the first world war.
Despite the solemn start to the evening, the Steelers were fired up and managed to score their first goal of the night within the first nineteen seconds of the first period. Brandon McNally skated in from the right wing, assisted by Piche and Kristo to score against Muse. Eight minutes into the period, Jake Bolton for the Glasgow clan was awarded a two-minute minor penalty for interference. This gave the Steelers their first powerplay of the game and barely twenty seconds later Matt Petgrave flicked the puck into the back of Muse’s net. Ciampini and Kristo got the credit for the assists. Shortly after Scott Allen was called for high sticks, bringing an end to the Steeler’s powerplay. With just under three minutes left on the clock, Martin Latal chanced a shot on goal. Unfortunately, the puck hit Muse in the throat area, causing Glasgow’s netminder to collapse on the ice, unable to stand for several minutes. When he finally did he was greeted with applause from both Steelers and Clan fans alike, leaving some fans pitying Glasgow’s backup netminder who had clearly believed he was going to get some ice time. Muse, however, stood back up and resumed his place in front of the net. The first period ended with the Steelers leading two, nothing against the Clan.
In the second period, the Steelers seemed to lose their momentum, coming close to scoring several times but unable to get the puck in the net. Three minutes into the period, Ciampini received a two-minute minor penalty for slashing giving Glasgow the powerplay. Glasgow’s luck seemed to have turned around however, as ex-Steeler’s player Mathieu Roy flicked the puck into the back of the net for a powerplay goal, assisted by Mitch Jones. Robert Dowd was able to restore Sheffield’s two goal lead unassisted a few minutes later. However, the linesmen then called a penalty against the Sheffield steelers for supposedly having “too many men on the ice” during a line change, leaving Steelers fans to wonder if there was something wrong with their vision. With only four players on the ice, the Steelers were left vulnerable as the Clan gained a powerplay and Connolly took the penalty for his team. With fifty seconds left on their powerplay, Mitch Jones scored Glasgow their second powerplay goal of the period without any help. In the final forty seconds of the period Glasgow came close to scoring again but some brilliant defence work from Latal meant that the puck was deflected away from the goal. At the end of the period the Steelers were still leading 3-2, but it was still anyone’s game.
In the third and final period, the Steelers were back on track to secure victory over Glasgow. Within the first two minutes the Clan receive a two minute minor penalty for having too many men on the ice, a nice irony for the Steelers fans. There were some more close goals for Sheffield, but Muse was able to block them. With eight minutes left, the Clan get a two-minute minor penalty for interference. This is apparently just what the Steelers need because Raska, assisted by Kristo and Latal, score a powerplay goal that flies straight past Muse and into the back of the net. Two minutes later, Neumann managed to score another powerplay goal assisted by Kristo and Petgrave mere moments after Glasgow’s Mitch Jones got a two-minute minor penalty for boarding. In the final five minutes, John Dunbar gets a two minute penalty for slashing, plus another ten minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Allen scored the final goal of the night for the Steelers just seconds after their powerplay expired. After Allen’s goal, the Clan finally replace John Muse with Ty Taylor as netminder for the final three minutes. The third period ended with six goals to the Steelers and two to the Clan.
Mitch Jones was Glasgow’s man of the match and Matt Petgrave was Sheffield’s. The Steeler’s win earned them another two points for the board, putting them only four points behind the Guildford Flames.
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