Steelers mixed fortunes over the weekend

SHEFFIELD, U.K. – The Sheffield Steelers quest to retain the EIHL league title took another setback with a defeat on home ice to the masterful Belfast Giants on Sunday.
Sheffield did have some joy over the weekend, in the form of a win over the Hull Stingrays.

Sheffield Steelers Player/Coach Ryan Finnerty decided to give starting netminder John DeCaro the night off in preparation for the tough test that will await him 24 hours later in the form of the Belfast Giants.
So it was to be backup netminder Geoff Woolhouse who would be given the nod in goal for his hometown team.
Sheffield came out of the traps flying looking for that early goal, and they did just that thanks to a rare Matt Stephenson breakaway, with the defenceman duly dispatching the puck 5-hole past the Stingrays Christian Boucher to make it 1-0 after just four minutes.
Stephenson’s opener was to be the only goal of the first period, with the Stingrays struggling to muster up some firepower without their marksman Jereme Tendler, who missed the game through illness.
Steelers Chad Huttel and Stingrays Andy McKinney had a difference in opinion and proceeded to settle matters, with the gloves off at centre ice. The fight was evenly contested until the closing seconds with Huttel landing two thunderous uppercuts to claim the honours in the spirited battle.
Hull edged Sheffield on the shot count in the first period 11-10 but couldn’t find a way past the impressive Geoff Woolhouse.
Hull pressed as Sheffield ran into penalty trouble in the second period. Sheffield were clearly focusing on the more important task against the Giants, cantered around the ice, conserving energy for Sunday’s crucial game.
The period was all but done, when Jeff Legue netted a neat goal on the breakaway after a great pass from linemate Mike Ramsay at 39:13 to make it 2-0.
Once again the third period for Sheffield was all about energy conservation, and they did manage to outshoot the visitors in the period 11-6, something which they failed to do in the previous two periods.
For all of Sheffield’s chances they were only successful in converting one of those shots, an empty netter courtesy of Luke Fulghum with just 21 seconds of the game remaining. Geoff Woolhouse even claimed an assist on the goal, the perfect end to a fine shutout and Man of the Match performance.
Sunday came, and it was now time for the eagerly anticipated clash between the Steelers and the Belfast Giants.
Depsite the torrid weather conditions it didn’t put off the 4,500 spectators, hoping for a dazzling display of skill, strength and determination.
Unfortunately only one team had all three in abundance, and that was the Belfast Giants, who truly are a force to be reckoned with and after that performance, surely the favourites to win the EIHL title.
Belfast, who arrived over an hour late for the 5pm faceoff and only had ten minutes warm up on the ice, dominated the first period outshooting the hosts 13-4.
Sheffield were to grab the only goal of the first period, against the run of play, Luke Fulghum fired home high slot past Stephen Murphy at 10:49 giving the hosts a fortuitous 1-0 lead.
The visitors came out strong in the second and were soon back on level terms, thanks to former Steeler Rob Dowd, who was relentless against his former employers all night. Dowd was at hand to tap in a goalmouth scramble at 22:42 for his 22^nd goal of the season to make it 1-1.
Sheffield pressed and were soon in the lead again after a powerplay opportunity gifted Steelers pugilist Colt King with his 18th goal of the season at 32:09 to make it 2-1.
The second period was dying down when Steelers Player/Coach Ryan Finnerty took a foolish interference penalty at with just 19 seconds of the period remaining.
Jeff Mason was on at hand for the Giants to blast home a bullet from the blueline to tie the game up just six seconds into the man advantage, making it 2-2.
Belfast went into the period break the happier of the two teams, after a second period in which they dominated the hosts by 19-7 on the shot count.
A quick fire double at the start of the third period from the visitors was effectively enough to see of the Steelers on the cold February evening.
Jon Pelle was first to do the damage at 41:46 with a neat finish on the powerplay to give his side a 3-2 lead.
Then just 35 seconds after Pelle’s marker, Mike Hoffman fired home his first goal of the season for the Giants after his recent return for the team who he became a fan favourite with last season.
Hoffman’s deadly accurate wrist shot was a signal of clear intent from the Giants that they are a force to be reckoned with for the EIHL title, in a night that the Steelers came up short, and lacked the intensity and effort to keep up with the league leaders.
Sheffield remained on the backfoot for the duration of the game, with John DeCaro in the Sheffield goal, keeping the score respectable after the Giants barrage of shots.
The final shot count of the game (44-17 in favour of the Giants) made for painful reading for Sheffield fans, and it was a clear reflection of the game and the team who were superior throughout.
Sheffield Steelers Player/Coach Ryan Finnerty gave his thoughts on the game, “We picked the wrong night to play and worst game of the year. We were out worked and out played and it just isn’t good enough. Even though we led 1-0 and 2-1 we were never in the game, we were holding on. We looked like we had never played together before at times. We started trying almost too hard, trying to do things on our own rather than work together”, Finnerty admitted. “Whilst I’m gutted and angry we have to remember this is our first loss in 10. You can’t forget that we are still in a good position in the standings and things are still in our own hands. We just have to get better, a lot better and we will,” Finnerty concluded.
Sheffield now face a hectic schedule of five games in seven nights, starting with back to back games against the Coventry Blaze this weekend, before a Valentine’s Day grudge match with old foes the Nottingham Panthers.
This next week is crucial to see whether the South Yorkshire side are title contenders or not. 
Contact the author at Scott.antcliffe@prohockeynews.com