Bengtsson gives Stars one-goal aggregate advantage

Photo: Dean Woolley

Adam Morrison made 32 saves and Sebastian Bengtsson scored the only goal of the game to give Dundee Stars a one-goal aggregate lead after the first leg of their Premier Sports Playoffs Quarter-Final against Sheffield Steelers.

The teams went scoreless through 40 minutes at the Utilita Arena but the action was no less entertaining despite the lack of goals. Both teams hit the post in the opening period - a tip on Michael Poirier's shot from the point rang Barry Brust's pipework early in period one, while some 10 minutes later Antonín Bořuta jumped into the play and beat Adam Morrison but not the iron.

Period two was a little less open but still with chances at both ends. If Dundee shaded the better of the opportunities in the first, then it was the Steelers who were the slightly more dangerous in the second but without conversion.

Sheffield were unable to find the go-ahead goal on a Dillon Lawrence tripping minor at the halfway point of the period, but eventually the Stars' threat on the rush was made to count.

Timi Lahtinen went behind the net looking for a wraparound with the puck finding its way to Sebastian Bengtsson to fire into the gaping net - silencing the majority of the 6,083 crowd save for the good travelling support from Scotland.

The hosts pressed for an equaliser but didn't really threaten Morrison's net too badly, and despite being pinned in their own zone for a lot of the final two minutes the Stars held on to take a 1-0 lead back to Dundee.