SHEFFIELD, U.K. – The Sheffield Steelers face an uphill task in the second leg of the Challenge Cup semi-final in Nottingham after being routed 8-0 at Ice Sheffield against the Panthers.
A good Steelers forecheck resulted in the first shot of the game when Jason Hewitt fired a slapshot on goal after forcing a turnover in front of the Panthers bench after just 96 seconds.
The Panthers spurred on by a healthy travelling support took an early lead at 06:04 when Evan Mosey skated into the left wing slot and fired a low well-placed wrist shot past Marek Pinc to make it 1-0.
Evan Mosey opens the Panthers account (Image courtesy of Dean Woolley)
With momentum in their favour, the Panthers came close moments later when Robert Farmer re-directed a Geoff Waugh shot from the point just over the net.
At 14:41 the visitors doubled their advantage when Great Britain international Matthew Myers skated down the right wing and fired home low past Pinc from close range to make it 2-0.
It was all one way traffic when the Panthers added their third goal of the game after veteran forward Brad Moran pounced on a loose puck in the neutral zone and passed back post cross-crease to Juraj Kolnik who one-timed past Pinc at 15:49.
The third goal was enough to prompt Steelers Head Coach Paul Thompson to call a timeout and rally his troops.
Despite a Mathieu Roy chance early on in the second period, the Panthers were soon four goals to the good when Captain David Clarke fired a blistering wristshot top shelf above Pinc’s glove to give his side some breathing room at 25:10.
Juraj Kolnik rifles home the Panthers third goal (Image courtesy of Dean Woolley)
The Steelers pressed and offered a chance of their own at 29:14 with Guillaume Desbiens forcing a save from the outstanding Miika Wiikman.
The visitors soon added a fifth goal when fan favourite Cam Janssen re-directed a Franklin MacDonald shot from the point past Pinc at 29:53.
The goal was enough to prompt Thompson to make a netminding change with Huddersfield-born Brad Day replacing Marek Pinc in the Steelers net in the hopes that the players will step up around him
The Panthers took advantage of a cold Brad Day and scored with their first shot on the 21-year-old with Brad Moran firing high glove side to make it 6-0 at despite protests from Steelers players that the Panthers had a man in the crease, referee Tom Pering still allowed the goal to stand.
The hosts started the third period strongly and offered chances with Mathieu Roy and Jonathan Phillips but Wiikman was equal to the test.
The Steelers showed some fight (literally) at 32:22 when Zack Fitzgerald and Cam Janssen dropped the gloves, the two tough guys traded blows in a spirited bout, receiving the loudest cheer of the night from the Steelers fans.
Zack Fitzgerald and Cam Janssen trade blows (Image courtesy of Dean Woolley)
With Steelers defenceman Cullen Eddy sat in the box for a trip, the Panthers took advantage with Juraj Kolnik netting his second of the game by re-directing a Steve Lee point shot past Day 48:10 to make it 7-0.
The Panthers netted their eighth goal just four minutes later with another powerplay marker, this time Brad Moran with the decisive shot in front of goal after a nice pass from Bohmbach behind the net.
No further scoring followed, ensuring the Panthers take an unsurmountable 8-0 lead into the second leg of the semi-final on Wednesday evening, pretty much guaranteeing their place in the final against the Cardiff Devils who saw off the Belfast Giants earlier in the evening.
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