Steelers back 12 points clear at top

Photo: Dean Woolley

Sheffield Steelers moved back to 12 points clear at the top of the Elite League thanks to a shootout win over Nottingham Panthers, and results elsewhere.

The 8,291-strong crowd at the Utilita Arena had to wait over half an hour for the game's first goal, and then got two in as many minutes. Marc-Olivier Vallerand put the Steelers ahead at 33:49, only for Westin Michaud to tie things up at 35:23.

The Panthers then took the lead 4:38 into period three with an Otto Nieminen goal after the Steelers had been given a bench minor for Too Many Men. That lead lasted less then two minutes, however, with Steelers captain Robert Dowd making things all square again at 48:26.

With the teams locked in at two each after regulation, overtime followed. Mitchell Balmas had a swing and a miss with arguably the Steelers' best chance, while in the final seconds of the bonus period Alexander Lunsjo saw his shot come back off the iron.

It took all five rounds of the shootout to finally separate the teams, as only Vallerand and Lunsjo scored through the first two. Mikko Juusola and Hugo Roy both hit the post on successive attempts, before Patrick Watling's goal in Round 3 was enough to earn the hosts the extra point.