Robson shuts out Steelers on Saucerman’s return to Sheffield PHN's Best Shots of the Game

Mat Robson celebrated his second consecutive shutout at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield, stopping all 40 shots he faced as Coventry Blaze skated away with a 2-0 victory over the Steelers.

“I had every emotion possible coming in here tonight,” said Colton Saucerman, who faced the Steelers for the first time since joining Coventry in the summer. “I wanted to win this game, but it feels weird winning here against Sheffield. It was emotional at the start but once the game started I settled in.”

A goalless opening period wasn’t without chances in Sheffield. Both sides came through penalty kills to keep the game scoreless, while Stephen Harper came closest to breaking the deadlock inside the final minute of the period but saw his effort come back off the inside of Robson’s post.

“It was a difficult game, we thought we dominated the play but ran into a hot goalie,” said Kyle Watson, who made his EIHL debut for the Steelers after growing up as a boyhood fan of the team. “My first game here was when I was about two weeks old, so it was a long time coming to make my debut for this team. But when the puck drops you have to focus on the game. I tried to play strong and keep it simple, and I felt confident out there.”

Coventry created the better chances to begin period two and were deservedly ahead just over seven minutes in. A broken stick as the Blaze broke 2-on-1 put the puck into the path of Archie Hazeldine, who roofed it into Matt Greenfield’s top corner.

Having seen the Steelers start the third period on the attack, the Blaze broke and doubled their lead when Jack Hopkins played the puck across the crease for Kim Tallberg to slot home past a helpless Greenfield 2:33 into the final frame.

Sheffield pushed for a goal but just couldn’t find a way past Robson. At the other end, the Blaze were only a deflection away from scoring on the empty net but held on to celebrate an excellent win.

“It’s a very tough building to come and play in, but it was a big and important game to keep us moving up in the Cup standings,” concluded Saucerman. “We came in and just tried to play hard, and Robson stood on his head.”