Nottingham Panthers logged a crucial two-goal win over rivals Sheffield Steelers to stay in the title race in front of a 9,389-strong crowd at the Utilita Arena.

“I thought it was a good, gritty win for the guys,” said Panthers goalie Jason Grande. “We stuck to it, it wasn’t easy. We know what’s on the line, but I think we’re playing care-free in a good way, and I think that’s showing on the ice.”

The first time the puck hit the net, referees Tom Perring and Steve Brown went to the monitor for a suspected kick-in. Steve Brown was first out of the box pointing to centre ice to award the goal, with Joona Huttula getting the deflection off his skate. The first period was dominated by the Steelers, outshooting the Panthers 24-1. Two powerplays and sustained offensive zone pressure kept the Panthers on their heels in the opening 20.

“It felt like it’s been a long time coming, but I was happy to be out there with the guys,” said Liam Steele, who made his debut for the Steelers. “I felt like it was a game that could have gone either way. We had a lot of shots but didn’t capitalise on them.”

Nottingham equalised just over a minute into the second period. Tic-tac-toe passing left McAdam stranded, allowing Ross Armour to tap home. After a strong spell of pressure, the Panthers went ahead, with Wednesday’s hero Didrik Henbrant skating with pace to beat Jordon Southorn on the outside before laying the puck on a plate for Bryan Lemos.

“If I’m being honest, this season has been a bit up and down for me,” admitted Grande. “So coming in here I told myself I was going to play no matter what happened, wasn’t going to over-think things and keep it simple, don’t care about what happens and keep my head down.”

Just 57 seconds into the third, Matt Marcinew’s snipe beat Eamon McAdam to put the visitors two ahead.

“I trust the process and the coaches, they’ve been doing it for longer than I have,” said Steele of his call-up. “Tonight our first period was good, we dominated them, and if we can do that for a full 60 I think we have enough to get the win.”

Sheffield got one back with just over nine minutes remaining as Evan Jasper beat Grande on a play that saw Panthers’ Zsombor Garát take a nasty-looking injury as he went into the boards.

The Panthers were penalised for too many players on the ice with 4:27 to play, a call that did not go down well with the bench. Head coach Danny Stewart was ejected from the game. The call was made for something said to the officials, no gestures were made as may have seemed at the time.

The Panthers held out on the penalty kill, setting up McAdam to leave the net with a minute to play. It took just eight seconds for Jakob Stridsberg to find the empty net.

“It wasn’t our best performance, but we found a way. Tomorrow on our home ice, we’ll be flying and hopefully can give the fans a good show!” concluded Grande.

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Photo: Hayley Roberts

Belfast Giants moved eight points clear at the top of the Elite Ice Hockey League with a 4-0 shutout win over the Sheffield Steelers on Saturday night in Sheffield.

It was night one of the Retro Weekend double header as the Steelers hosted the league-leading Giants.

“We feel great, the guys played so well in front of me, getting four goals was good and I thought we were awesome tonight,” said Giants’ Jake Kupsky, who posted a shutout. “Everyone was really clean in front of me which made my job really easy. It builds more confidence for the rest of the games to come.”

The Steelers started brightly and had the better of the opening ten minutes, with chances for Balmas and Jasper, but they could not find a way past Giants netminder Jake Kupsky. Belfast opened the scoring with just under nine minutes remaining in the first period. Smart puck movement from Lee at the point found Nicolas Guay down low, who fed Jordan Kawaguchi in the slot to poke the puck home and give the visitors the lead.

“That’s obviously not what we set out to do tonight, but we have a chance to get those two points back tomorrow,” said Steelers’ Ivan Bjorkly-Nordstrom. “I love this club,” concluded Bjorkly-Nordstrom, “and our capability to do that.”

The Giants doubled their advantage just over two minutes into the second period when Carsen Twarynski poked home Brandon Whistle’s centring pass. Belfast added a third at 31:56 after strong work from Ciaran Long forced a turnover in the Steelers zone off Stephen Harper, allowing Ben Freeman to go clear in space and he finished with a snap shot off the post past Matt Greenfield for his first goal as a Giant at 31:56.

Guay added the fourth 8:11 into the final period to seal the win as Belfast controlled the remainder of the game.

“It’s great to get a shutout, but that stat is more a testament to the guys in front of me,” added Kupsky, who stopped 24 shots. “I had a bit of puck luck with some shots that hit the crossbar and went out of play, but it’s always awesome to get a shutout.”

Bjorkly-Nordstrom was named player of the game for the Steelers. “I thought I played pretty well, I was moving well considering I played last night but there were parts of the game that need to be more consistent,” added Bjorkly-Nordstrom. “But getting man of the match doesn’t really matter when you lose.

“I love being in the rink every day and competing for my spot, and trying to win trophies with both teams. I love this club.”

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Sheffield Steelers ran out comfortable 5-1 winners over Cardiff Devils on Sunday afternoon, ending a difficult week on a high.

“It was a pretty solid win. I think we played a good game, especially after the week we’ve had,” said Steelers netminder Eamon McAdam. “I thought we deserved more from those games, and mentally it’s hard to come back from that. I’m impressed with the guys.”

Mikko Juusola opened the scoring early for Steelers after a poor line change from the Devils left him alone in the slot. Mitchell Heard picked him out with a pass, and Juusola fired past Christian Stoever to give the hosts the lead.

The Steelers doubled their advantage on the powerplay as Mitchell Balmas sent a low shot toward goal that was tipped in by Juusola for his second of the night. Soon after, a slap pass from Jordon Southorn found Robert Dowd at the back post, where he tapped home to make it 3-0.

“We’re really disappointed with that result, we weren’t good enough in a lot of areas,” admitted Devils captain Joey Martin. “You can’t give a skilled team like that so many odd-man rushes and chances. They capitalised on their opportunities tonight.”

Balmas added a fourth with six minutes remaining in the second period, beating Stoever with a well-taken shot that struck the post on its way in.

Ben Bowns replaced Stoever in net for the final period, and Kohen Olischefski pulled one back for Devils with just over 11 minutes remaining, finishing from a Ryan Barrow pass. However, Southorn restored the four-goal margin at 50:38, converting a rebound to complete the scoring.

“It’s been an interesting season, Belfast obviously have a bit of a cushion,” added McAdam. “If we keep our heads down, I think we can put the pressure on and give them something to worry about.”

The Devils now head to Belfast for a double-header next weekend.

“There’s a lot we need to fix this week,” continued Martin. “A lot of it is accountability among us as players. We’re not playing well enough as a team and that has to be the main message. We’re not going to give up, that’s not the culture we have here, and we have a big weekend in Belfast coming up.”

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Bryan Lemos scored 25 seconds into overtime to send Nottingham Panthers into their first Challenge Cup Final since 2016 with a 5-4 aggregate win over Sheffield Steelers on Wednesday night.

A crowd of 9,086 at the Utilita Arena saw the Steelers fight back from three down on aggregate to send the game to overtime, but the visitors take the win in sudden death OT.

“It was a good night, I don’t think it was our best hockey but we found a way to get it done and that’s all that matters, we’re moving on!” said OT hero Bryan Lemos. “It seemed like it was the opposite from last week. A week ago we were buzzing and playing great, and tonight we came up against a really good team who were on their game.”

Sheffield struck first, and in dramatic fashion, with a shorthanded goal to open the scoring. Mikko Juusola pickpocketed a Panthers defenceman to send himself in alone on Kevin Carr, deking once before finishing into the open net to register the Steelers’ first goal of the tie.

Nottingham responded on the same powerplay, however, as Matt Marcinew fired a one-timer past Matt Greenfield to restore the Panthers’ three-goal aggregate cushion.

In the second, the Steelers pulled one back on the night during a powerplay when a scramble in front of the Panthers’ net saw the puck fall to captain Robert Dowd, who finished to cut the deficit with just under 27 minutes remaining in the tie. Moments later, strong forechecking from Evan Jasper forced a turnover in the Nottingham zone, and Dowd was found in the slot again to finish clinically and bring the aggregate score to within one.

“We put ourselves three goals in a whole, I thought we were the better team last week and tonight,” said Steelers’ Evan Jasper. “We won the game 4-1 and put ourselves in a position to win the tie, it was all we could do and we have to be proud of that effort, but it stings to not get to that Final.”

Early in the third period, the Panthers were handed back-to-back penalties. Matt Alfaro was called for holding 32 seconds in, and 22 seconds later Brendan Harris received an unsportsmanlike conduct minor following protests with his stick in the direction of the game officials. With a two-man advantage, the Steelers worked the puck to Mitchell Balmas, who fired past Carr to level the tie on aggregate.

The Panthers did have chances in the closing stages as they battled their way back into the game, but neither side could win the tie in regulation.

“It’s frustrating when you feel like you’ve out-shout and out-chanced them and you can’t put the puck in the net,” added Jasper. “We had a bunch of Grade As and fell victim to a hot goalie. Matt Greenfield also made some amazing saves to keep us in the game and get us to that point, there were two excellent goaltenders tonight. But this definitely stings.”

A 10 minute, 3-on-3 overtime period followed. However, it needed just 25 seconds for Lemos to flick the puck over Greenfield from close range and win the tie for the Panthers.

“It always feels good!” said Lemos of his OT winner. “But I have to give this to Kevin Carr. He was tremendous tonight and I think he’s a big reason why we’re going to the Challenge Cup Final.”

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Sheffield Steelers moved into second place in the standings with a home win over the Guildford Flames on Sunday night.It was the second meeting between the sides in as many nights, securing a three-point weekend for the Steelers.

The Steelers struck twice in each of the opening two periods to build a four-goal lead. Stephen Harper backhanded home the opener at 6:47, before Mitchell Balmas converted from close range with 39 seconds left in the first period.

Robert Dowd tapped in a rebound 8:52 into the second, and Jack Dougherty made it 4-0 just past the midway point of the game.

Guildford responded with two goals in under five minutes to reduce the deficit to 4-2 by the 37-minute mark. Jamal Watson then drove down the middle to pull the Flames to within one 6:22 into the third period.

Patrick Watling restored Sheffield’s two-goal advantage just under three minutes later, and Harper added his second of the night with 5:10 remaining to complete the scoring.

Photo: Dean Woolley

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The Steelers returned to home ice at the Utilita Arena brimming with confidence after last night’s road victory over the Cardiff Devils, and they extended their impressive run to seven wins from the last eight with a stirring 4-2 comeback triumph over the Coventry Blaze. In front of a passionate Valentine’s-clad crowd, the Steelers overturned a second period deficit with a blistering third period display.

Chasing the league-leading Belfast Giants, the Steelers knew there was little margin for error despite the long season still ahead. Coach Aaron Fox kept changes minimal following the Cardiff victory, with Eamon McAdam stepping in between the pipes and a small shift in lines. The continuity paid dividends, particularly during a dominant final frame that saw the Steelers strike twice in 51 electric seconds to seize control of the contest.

Statistically, the Steelers dictated much of the play. They outshot the Blaze 29-20, controlled large spells in the offensive zone, and killed both first-period penalties efficiently. Although Coventry capitalised on their powerplay and a late first period breakaway, the Steelers’ persistence and attacking pressure eventually overwhelmed Mat Robson and the Blaze defence.

In goal, McAdam turned aside 19 shots, several of them at crucial junctures, including a key denial of Boysen in the third period that preserved momentum. Jack Dougherty’s inspirational performance, scoring the game-winning goal after suffering a heavy second-period hit earned him Man of the Match honours for the Steelers, while Grant Mismash claimed the award for the visitors.

First Period [0-1]

The opening frame began at a lively tempo, though clear-cut opportunities were at a premium in the early exchanges. Coventry’s Colton Saucerman fired over the bar inside the opening shift, setting the tone for what would become a tightly contested first period. At the other end, Robert Dowd was inches away from opening the scoring at the top of the crease, unable to get the decisive touch, while Jordon Southorn’s follow-up from the blue line was swallowed by Robson.

As the period settled, both sides probed without truly testing the netminders consistently. Brien Diffley and Ryan Tait combined effectively midway through the frame, with Diffley forcing a sharp low pad save from Robson. Southorn then cut across the slot and unleashed a dangerous effort that was expertly gloved down by the Blaze netminder.

Discipline became a factor past the midway mark. Joona Huttula was called for hooking at 9:32, sending the Steelers to the penalty kill. Coventry’s Matthew Gleason rang a shot off the crossbar during the advantage, but the Steelers responded with a short-handed two-on-one opportunity for Ryan Tait and Dominic Cormier, though Cormier’s effort drifted wide. The kill was completed successfully, as was a second consecutive penalty after Diffley was assessed for cross-checking.

With the clock winding down and the Steelers appearing to have navigated the period effectively, Coventry struck with cruel timing. At 19:59, Jordan Power’s stretch pass sprung Grant Mismash at the Steelers’ blue line. The Blaze forward raced in alone and finished across the body of McAdam to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the break. Despite edging shots 8-7, the Steelers trailed by the narrowest of margins.

Second Period [1-2]

The Steelers emerged for the middle stanza with renewed purpose, hemming the Blaze into their own zone and applying sustained pressure. However, Robson and the Coventry defence held firm, frustrating the home side during their strongest spell of the game to that point.

Controversy erupted at 28:04 when Jack Dougherty was sent crashing face-first into the boards, rising bloodied to the concern of teammates and supporters alike. As tensions flared, Sam Tremblay was penalised for roughing after confronting the Blaze player involved, much to the fury of the Steelers bench and the home crowd. The officials’ decision to ignore the initial infraction left the Arena in disbelief.

The setback proved costly. Although Mitchell Balmas and Ryan Tait nearly combined short-handed on a two-on-one, the Blaze capitalised moments later. At 28:33, Elijiah Barriga fed Matthew Gleason at the back post, and Gleason made no mistake on the powerplay to double Coventry’s advantage.

To their credit, the Steelers responded swiftly. At 31:28, Mikko Juusola worked tirelessly behind the net before finding Mitchell Balmas near the goal line. From an improbable angle, Balmas threaded the puck through Robson to cut the deficit to 2-1 and reignite the building. Further chances fell to Balmas again and to Brett Ritchie at the back post, but Robson stood tall to preserve the Blaze lead heading into the second intermission, with the Steelers leading shots 19-16.

Third Period [4-2]

The final period began with a simmering edge. Dougherty was again involved physically in the corner, and the crowd voiced its displeasure at a perceived missed too-many-men call and further off-the-play infractions. The emotion inside the Arena was palpable, and the Steelers fed off it.

As the clock ticked past the midway point, the breakthrough finally came. At 51:25, Mikko Juusola battled brilliantly in the corner despite heavy attention and delivered a sublime feed into the slot. From one knee, Brett Ritchie rifled home the equaliser to spark bedlam in the Arena.

The noise had barely subsided when the Steelers struck again. Just 51 seconds later at 52:34, Jack Dougherty completed his redemption story. Picking up space high in the slot, the defenceman snapped a precision effort into the top corner to give the Steelers a 3-2 lead. It was a moment of sheer determination from a player who had endured a bruising night.

Coventry pressed in response, and McAdam produced a vital save to deny Boysen and preserve the advantage. With Robson pulled for the extra attacker at 58:30, the Blaze attempted to force overtime. Instead, Dominic Cormier sealed the victory with an unassisted empty-net goal at 59:19, sending the Valentine’s crowd home jubilant.

Man of the Match honours fittingly went to Jack Dougherty, whose third-period go-ahead goal capped a warrior-like performance from the blue line. After suffering a heavy hit in the second period that left him bloodied, Dougherty showed tremendous character to return, log important minutes, and fire home what proved to be the game-winner in front of a roaring Arena crowd. For the Blaze, late first-period scorer Grant Mismash took the award after his clinical breakaway finish gave Coventry their early advantage.

The Steelers’ third period dominance underlined their character and belief as the title chase continues. Attention now turns to Challenge Cup action on Wednesday night, with Nottingham Panthers the opponents for the first leg of the semi-final, before a league double-header against the Guildford Flames next weekend. The momentum is firmly with the Steelers… and long may it

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