Steelers win game in hand to set up weekend double-header

Photo: Dean Woolley

Sheffield Steelers did exactly what they needed to live on Premier Sports with an 8-2 victory over Manchester Storm.

Marc-Olivier Vallerand gave the hosts the perfect start with the go-ahead goal just 58 seconds in, and then Martin Látal finished off a smart pass from Vojta Polák with 6:20 gone the playoff-chasing visitors found themselves in a real hole. Curtis Hamilton pulled one back for the Storm at 11:26, but just 1:20 later Evan Mosey put the Steelers back two ahead from where they never seemed to look back. 

Two goals from Tanner Eberle in the opening half of period two, followed by Robert Dowd at 38:19, came either side of Adam Brady's 28th of the season for Storm to leave things at 6-2 to the Steelers after 40 minutes.

Dowd finished in space in front of Jason Bacashihua's net with 6:15 left to extinguish any faint Storm hopes of a late pushback, with Látal's speed helping him add the home side's eighth at 57:28. 

The Steelers are now one point behind Belfast at the top of the table, and will face the Giants in a home double-header this weekend.