Tedesco's late winner puts Flames back on top

Photo: Dean Woolley

Daniel Tedesco's game winner with 22 seconds to play sent Guildford Flames back to the top of the Viaplay Elite League, leapfrogging Sheffield Steelers in front of a sold out Utilita Arena on Saturday night.

The Flames had the better of the opening period and deservedly led by a goal after 20 minutes in Sheffield. A minute after the Steelers killed off an early minor penalty of Sam Jones, Bradley Lalonde shot through a crowd of players to put Guildford ahead at 5:20. The visitors were inches away from doubling their lead in the final seconds of the period, but for the out-stretched pad of Matt Greenfield denying Ben O'Connor.

Logan Fredericks' inch-perfect shot into the top of Greenfield's net put the Flames two ahead 3:34 into the second period, but thereafter the Steelers went up a gear. The hosts hit both the post and the crossbar before eventually finding a way past Eamon McAdam on a broken play through Robert Dowd's backhanded shot in at the near post. Momentum was with the hosts, and then tied the game at 38:03 through Scott Allen to leave things all square going into period three. 

The final period was a tighter affair, with chances at both ends although the Steelers had the better of the possession early on. In the final ten minutes the Flames started to create more opportunities, but their breakthrough wouldn't come until the final minutes. Ryan Tait and Daniel Tedesco broke 2-on-1, and the former's pass over the defenseman's stick went straight onto the latter's tape before releasing a bottle-popper shot to win it for the Flames with 22 seconds to play. 

Aaron Fox pulled Greenfield when his side got the puck deep off the resulting face-off, but good work from Owen Griffiths got the puck out of the zone and set up Ian McNulty for the empty net goal with eight seconds remaining.