SHEFFIELD, U.K. – The Sheffield Steeldogs continued their unbeaten run in 2012 with two solid home wins against both the Peterborough Phantoms and the Slough Jets at the weekend. The weekend began on Saturday 7th January with a 2-0 victory against the Phantoms, in which the Steeldogs’ netminder and MOTM, Ben Bowns, recorded the teams first shut-out this season, saving a total of 33 shots.
After initially failing to convert chances, the Steeldogs finally managed to score at the end of the first period. Greg Wood slotted it past Phantoms netminder, Damien King, after constant pressure from the Sheffield team. The second period saw solid defensive displays from both sides. The score remained the same heading into the third period. The Phantoms raced out of the blocks in the third period, testing Bowns’ abilities with good amounts of pressure. Bowns denied all of Peterborough’s attempts, making some outstanding saves and managing to keep out a penalty shot five minutes into the third period. Despite pressure from the Phantoms they failed to convert and Steeldogs’ forward Lloyd Gibson sealed the deal in the 57th minute, securing victory for the Sheffield side. The game ended 2-0 to the Steeldogs.
On Sunday 8th January, the Steeldogs were looking to continue their impressive sequence of results. The first period got off to a flyer, with Andrew Hirst putting the Steeldogs up 1-0 with a backhand shot at 2:46. The Steeldogs continued to pile on the pressure, creating several good chances and being denied a penalty shot appeal at 6:04 in the process.
There was a brief stoppage in the first period after the plexi glass came loose on the away penalty box. It wasn’t long after the stoppage that the Steeldogs seemed to lose momentum and allowed Slough defender, Mindaugas Kieras, to equalise at 13:23. The Jets’ equaliser seemed to then spur the Sheffield side on towards the end of the first period. With 1:15 remaining in the first, Hirst and Janis Ozolins had Slough netminder, Gregg Rockman, flailing, but failed to convert back-to-back chances. The first period ended at 1-1.
It was a slow start to the second period with neither team dominating possession and goal-mouth chances coming few and far between. The deadlock was broken, however at 27:26 when Latvian forward Ozolins found the top shelf from the slot. The Steeldogs continued to pile on the pressure after obtaining the lead. At 30:53, Sheffield’s leading goal scorer, Ozolins, could have had his second goal of the night but failed to convert a 3 on 1 chance. The Steeldogs’ momentum once again ground to a halt at 35:42 after Kieras’s blue line slap shot was deflected in by Slough’s Lithuanian forward, Darius Pliskauskas, whilst on a 4 on 4 powerplay. The second period drew to a close with the score tied, 2-2.
Steeldogs star forward Ozolins
The third period saw a dominant first five minutes from the visitors. The Jets, however, failed to capitalise on the powerplay with numerous missed chances. The Steeldogs recovered from their poor third period start and began to apply pressure. At 48:14, ex Hull Stingrays and Newcastle Vipers defender, Pavel Gomeniuk, found the back of the net for the Steeldogs, with a rocket one-timer shot on the powerplay. W ith 7:56 remaining on the clock, Steeldogs’ Player/Coach Andre Payette and Slough’s Scottish forward Ryan Watt dropped gloves after a boarding penalty was called against Payette. The fight was evenly contested, with punches landing from both sides, yet neither fighter could claim bragging rights and they were eventually broken up. The Jet’s pushed hard in the remaining minutes of the game, but failed to generate any clear cut chances. During the final minute of the game, Slough, who were already on the powerplay, pulled their netminder, creating a 6 on 4 scenario. The two-man advantage failed to pay off for Slough however and Ozolins made the score 4-2 with an empty net goal from the half way line with 19 seconds remaining. The game ended 4-2.
The Sheffield Steeldogs will hope they can keep their 2012 unbeaten run alive next weekend, as they host the Bracknell Bees on the 14th January and travel to Peterborough to face the Phantoms the following day.
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