536 days, 536 very, very long days since we last stepped onto our home ice at the Ulilita Sheffield Arena.
Forget Christmas Eve, forget Christmas Day, this is the day we’d all been waiting for and we couldn’t have been happier to welcome you all back home.
We took on the Nottingham Panthers again tonight after last night’s 3-2 win where we brought the Aladdin Cup back to Sheffield.
The early news was that Saxrud-Danielsen had received a 1 game suspension after his boarding penalty last night and would miss out tonight. Whistle and Shudra came into the line-up as reinforcements.
Just before the game, news also broke that Hodgman and Todd has been pulled from the line up with the club also waiting on the arrivals of Brust and Schulze who arrive in the UK on Monday and Tuesday respectively.
Before the game, we got to remember those who are no longer with us, our Steelers family members that will forever be with us. There wasn’t a dry eye in the building, especially when our great number 8 Marek Troncinsky was shown on screen. We miss you all.
Unfortunately, the game couldn’t have started much worse for the men in Orange as the Panthers took the lead with only 2 minutes and 5 seconds on the clock as Rok Stojanovic was beaten shortside by Massimo Carozza. 1-0 the Panters.
Things went from bad to worse only 89 seconds later at 3.34 when Christophe Boivin jumped onto a loose puck and his shot went straight through Rok to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
9.04 saw the first penalty of the night when Suoranta was called for boarding against Ellerby, but the Panthers saw this one off despite a few scrambles infront of the goal.
Connolly was the next man in the box at 11.25 when he was called for cross-checking. The Panthers took advantage with only 10 seconds left on the penalty through Myers, assisted by Suoranta and Lane. The steelers now trailing by 3.
The Steelers thought they were on the board at 15.25 after the puck was tipped in. After a quick visit to the replays though, the referee’s waved this one off due to a high stick.
The Steelers did however get their goal at 19.40 through Robert Dowd who was able to tip Shudra’s shot past Carr, with the 2nd assist going to big John Armstrong.
We headed into the 1st period break trailing 3-1.
The second period started within an exchange of penalties which were both killed efficiently. The first of the Penalties against the Panthers at 21.33 when Carozza was called for hooking. The Steelers then called at 27.14 with Deluca being pulled for charging.
The penalty against Deluca did see a couple of good short handed chances for the Steelers but Carr managed to save both well.
The Steelers were however wishing they had taken their chances at 29.30 when the Panthers scored their 4th goal of the night, with Myers picking up his 2nd of the night. The Steelers now trailing 4-1.
At 4-1 the Panthers changed their netminder with ex-Steelers Will Kerlin finding himself between the pipes in lieu of Carr who had been impressive over both nights for the Panthers.
The Steelers brought the game back within 2 goals through an Evan Mosey powerplay goal at 33.14 after Doherty had been called for boarding against DeLuca at 31.18.
A few further chances for the Steelers but the score stayed the same at the 2nd period break, the Steelers trailing by 4 goals to 2.
The play went backwards and forwards for the first 10 minutes of the third period with both teams having few chances and when they arose, both netminders standing up well to the pressure.
The first penalty of the period came at 50.51 as Norrish of the Panthers was called for cross checking but the Panthers killed.
The next action came via Kelsall going in one on one with the The Rok who was denied and then Latal showed his blistering pace and was taken down into the boards on the way through, that speed is going to put up some points this year.
The game seemed to be drifting away from the Steelers until at 57.22 Davey Phillips tipped home a shot from John Armstrong to make the game 3-4.
The final action of the game saw the Steelers pull the Rok for the extra attacker but this worked to the advantage of the Panthers with an Empty Net Goal at 59.42 with the game ending 3-5.
With Sheffield match report
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