Steelers keep up pace in chasing pack

Photo: Dean Woolley

Sheffield Steelers kept up the chase of Guildford Flames at the top of the Viaplay Elite League with a hard-fought 4-1 win over Coventry Blaze on Sunday afternoon at the Utilita Arena in front of over 7,000 spectators.

Period one was goalless as the visitors set out to frustrate their hosts. The Steelers outshot the Blaze by a ratio of 3:1 but didn't generate too many clear-cut chances to trouble Paavo Hölsä.

That was all change at the start of period two where the Blaze were on the front foot. A couple of scrambles for the puck around the net saw the home side grateful to Matt Greenfield for managing to freeze the puck in the nick of time. Martin Látal opened the scoring at 29:44 to put the home side ahead, but Greenfield was there to keep the Steelers ahead with an excellent pad save on a Blaze powerplay.

With the Steelers on a man advantage of their own, Coventry forechecked with two forwards and were caught out the other way - allowing Brett Neumann space to beat Hölsä short side and double the lead at 38:38.

Coventry hung in the game without finding a way through during the opening stages of period three, but were on the board with 8:34 to go when Garrett Johnston's shot was deflected in front nicely by Peyton Frantti on the powerplay to make it a one-goal game. A Brandon McNally slapshot, however, 56 seconds later put the Steelers back two ahead. Látal got his second of the game when a shot form the boards was deflected past Hölsä by a Blaze defenseman to round off the scoring.