Clan into playoff places with win in Sheffield

Photo: Dean Woolley

Glasgow Clan pulled off arguably their biggest win of the season so far with a road victory against second-placed Sheffield Steelers, moving themselves into a playoff place in the process.

The first period's two goals were scored 30 seconds apart. Steven McParland sniped from the faceoff circle to beat Matt Greenfield at 14:14 and give Clan the lead, but the Steelers were level at 14:44 thanks to an equally impressive wrist shot from Scott Allen that went into John Muse's top corner. 

Clan regained the lead 46 seconds into period two when Gary Haden was allowed space to skate into the Steelers' zone and unleash a nice shot past Greenfield. 

It was a lead the Clan held through into the second intermission and beyond. As the final period wore on, Clan were restricted to the occasional rush out of their zone as the home side piled on the pressure. The hosts were caught out on a rush the other way with Craig Peacock looking to skate through on Greenfield which forced Matt Petgrave to take a holding-stick minor on the redline - a smart play that avoided the possibility of a penalty shot further down the ice. However, McParland tipped a Niklas Tikkanen slapshot past Greenfield with 2:06 left to play to ensure Clan would hold on for the win. Kevin Massy shot into the empty net from his own zone at 58:38 to give the visitors even more breathing space, while Petgrave pulled one back for the Steelers with 40 seconds to play. 

Clan's win, their first in Sheffield since 2019, lifted them into the playoff places.