Steelers re-sign Phillips and Dowd

SHEFFIELD,U.K. – The Elite league Sheffield Steelers were delighted to announce that captain Jonathan Phillips and young sensation Robert Dowd will both be playing next season with the Elite league and Play off champions. First to agree terms was the ‘Golden Child’ Robert Dowd as he is affectionately known. Dowd has had a breakout year in the Elite league defying his age, and relatively unknown capabilities. The Billingham born forward turned out to be a diamond in the rough for Dave Matsos’ side after signing full time from EPL neighbours the Sheffield Scimitars.

Dowd, 20, featured in seven games for the Steelers during the 2007-2008 campaign, tallying an assist. This was enough for Dave Matsos to realise the potential of Dowd, who soon agreed terms with the Broughton Lane outfit. In his first full year with the Steelers, Dowd recorded 28 goals and 27 assists for 55 points in only 60 games. Dowd’s sensational performances earned him a place in Team Great Britain, where he helped the squad to collect a bronze medal at the 2009 world championships in Poland. No one predicted Dowd would have the incredible season he has had, not even Sheffield Steelers Head Coach Dave Matsos, who set him a personal target of 15-20 goals. “I thought Dowdy would be a hit, would have a great year but to be honest none of us could have predicted the season he was to have. Right from day one he was at the races, he started scoring early and I think that boosted his confidence and it just kept on rolling from there.” Matsos said. Dowd soon established himself as a fan favourite amongst the Steelers fans. A hat trick against fierce rivals the Nottingham Panthers and a fight with former Steelers favourite Dan Tessier, endeared him to the fans. Dowd made sure he would go down in Steelers folklore history, by scoring a crucial penalty shot winner against the same opposition on Valentines Day. The Great Britain international continued to be a thorn in the Panthers side, by scoring six goals against them in the regular season. Dowd is pleased to be back in South Yorkshire once again, as he explained, “I might be from the North East but Sheffield is home to me now, this will be my fourth season in the city. The way I have been welcomed here and treated by everyone, club, players and fans has been incredible, why would I want to go anywhere else, I love it here,” Dowd said  “I also love to win and this season has surpassed anything we might have hoped for at the start of the year, next season we have the European Champions League to look forward to, I can’t wait for that. It will be a great chance to play against the very best players and test ourselves even more.”   Dowd was aware of the pressure on him for next season, “I’m at a great club here, with great coaches, players and backroom staff and I am fully aware that next season there will be pressure on me to deliver again but I like pressure,” Dowd said  “Some people said at Christmas I would find the second half of the year tougher because clubs have had a chance to see me and I wouldn’t be a surprise anymore, I scored a lot of goals after Christmas, in fact I played my best hockey in the second half of the year.” No one was more pleased about the re-signing of Dowd than Sheffield Steelers Head Coach Dave Matsos, “I think everyone knows just how important it was to re-sign Dowdy, he had an incredible first season and we are not only hoping for more of the same next year we are expecting an improvement. The lad has so much talent that we believe that we have something very special here at the Steelers,” Matsos said  “His major strength is his drive to improve, a lot of young players would see 28 goals and a double as the mountain climbed and the job done. He though wants to get better, wants to get stronger, smarter, quicker and be the best all around player he can be. It’s that drive that makes us convinced we are right to keep him here in Sheffield.” Dowd is joined by his captain and fellow Great Britain international, Jonathan Phillips, who will be returning for a fourth season with the team. Phillips has had a great season recording 15 goals and 27 assists for 42 points in only 62 games. The Steelers skipper spoke about his decision to return to Sheffield, “It’s been an amazing time here, which is why I didn’t want to go anywhere else. I see Sheffield as my home right now, myself and Kristy have just had our first child so I guess that rounded off the perfect year for me. Two trophies and a son, doesn’t get much better than that does it,” Phillips said  Phillips continued; “This has been a project for many of us who arrived at roughly the same time three years ago, we all knew that we had great potential here and that this club was desperate to win again and we are lucky that we are the ones who have brought back those winning days once again. I don’t see that winning the double means the job is over and that our work here is complete, in fact quiet the opposite, the work continues, we are greedy and want to do it all over again,” Phillips said “This club has a history of winning and then winning again, we want to do the same thing. Matty (Head Coach Dave Matsos) is building a great club here and I’m lucky enough to be his Captain. It’s a role I’m proud to have, being a Captain of a great club like this is a privilege and with it comes great responsibility. I think I have done a good job to date and certainly want to carry that on in the future.” The Cardiff born speedster, is regarded as one of the best two way forwards in the league and has established himself as a formidable force to be reckoned with in the Elite League. Steelers coach Dave Matsos, spoke very highly of his captain, “Jono is our leader, he has been here since day one of this rebuilding process, he is a reason why we win here in Sheffield, he is not replaceable in my mind. His work ethic is outstanding, that’s how he leads, he doesn’t scream and shout, in his own way he just says follow my example,” Matsos said  “Guys see how hard he works and they follow that lead. Jono is at the heart of our core group of guys, when new players arrive they look at the example Jono and the others have set and they then instantly know what standards and what work ethic we demand here, it’s why we win.” Contact the author at Scott.antcliffe@prohockeynews.com