SHEFFIELD, U.K. – The Sheffield Steelers moved one step closer to clinching the Elite League title after two hard fought wins against fellow title rivals Belfast Giants and the struggling but yet defiant Newcastle Vipers.
Sandwiched between the two crucial games was the 20/20 Aladdin Cup, which Sheffield used as nothing more than a training exercise in preparation for their imminent crucial remaining league fixtures. 
The 20/20 cup was eventually won by the Braehead Clan, who are ironically Sheffield’s next opponents (home and away) and can be the difference in whether Sheffield capture the league or not. Sheffield need to win both fixtures to be crowned Elite League champions.
Sheffield first faced Belfast (9th March) at Ice Sheffield in a tense edge of your seat affair with the home side eventually claiming honours with a 4-3 victory.
The South Yorkshire side got off to the perfect start with the formidable duo of Joey Talbot and Jeff Legue each netting a powerplay marker in the first period, a period which saw Sheffield heavily out shot 18-6.
Belfast were once again the more dominant team in the second period but only had one goal to show for it courtesy of former NHL’er Colin Hemingway at 25:51 with a powerplay goal of his own.
Belfast once again came out of the gates the quickest in the final stanza and tied the game up after another powerplay goal, this time from Brett Hemingway at 42:22 who clearly didn’t want to be upstaged by his brother who started the Giants revival.
Less than two minutes later Belfast netted the go-ahead-goal thanks to Michael Jacobsen with a fine slapshot to silence the capacity crowd at Ice Sheffield.
The normally boisterous Sheffield fans must have been fearing the worse especially with the Giants outshooting the Steelers 33-12 after the first two periods.
Sheffield’s prayers were answered at 48:46 when Joey Talbot netted his second of the game to make it 3-3 after some fine work from Ashley Tait who claimed his third assist of the night.
At 54:06 the bumper crowd were in raptures when the ‘British Bulldog’ Jason Hewitt netted the game winning goal showing why he is deserving of his moniker after a true workhorse display, and it being a fitting tribute to a player who epitomises the true grit and dedication of the team he represents.
The clock ticked down and Sheffield claimed a vital two points after a true spectacle of a game, which could prove to be the turning point of the title run-in.
After breaking a mild sweat in the 20/20 Aladdin Cup which Steelers were using as a leisurely glorified scrimmage, they were on the road to face a short benched, troubled Newcastle Vipers side, who were determined to make it hard work for the visitors.
Sheffield won the game 4-3 but Steelers Player/Coach Ben Simon must have been slightly worried with the scoreline after being 3-0 up for over half the game.
Joey Talbot continued his rich vein of form after the Belfast game with the opening goal at 08:12.
The visitors pressed and doubled their lead at 12:32 thanks to a powerplay effort from Steelers Player/Coach Ben Simon. Sheffield piled on further pressure in the period but were denied by some good goaltending from the Vipers Charlie Effinger.
Sheffield once again started the second period the stronger of the two teams as Ashley Tait bagged a fine solo goal at 25:03 to make it 3-0 to the South Yorkshire side.
Newcastle’s Player/Coach Danny Stewart gave his side a glimmer of hope at 33:02 after some good work from Vipers Captain and former Steeler Paul Sample to pull a goal back for his team.
The vociferous crowd at Whitley Bay was silenced once again when Rod Sarich netted two minutes into the start of the third period to make it 4-1.
Newcastle pressed in third stanza that saw the shot count shared 8-8, and they soon got an olive branch after defenceman Kyle Sibley netted at 50:15 to narrow the gap to two.
Vipers top scorer Jaroslaw Rzeszutko ensured a nervy finish to the game when he netted Vipers third goal at 58:16 to bring his side into contention.
Sheffield hung on and claimed the valuable two points, but were made to work hard by a disciplined and defiant Vipers outfit that deserved a lot of credit for their performance.
Sheffield’s face the Braehead Clan in back-to-back games this weekend, and if they claim four points in regulation it will see them crowned Elite League champions for the 2010/11 season.
Contact the author at Scott.antcliffe@prohockeynews.com
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