Steelers top battling Blaze

Photo: Scott Wiggins

Sheffield Steelers threw away a lead but came through to take the points in a shootout against a Coventry Blaze team that refused to give up at the Skydome.

The Steelers couldn’t have asked for a better start in their first road game of the domestic season, taking the lead after 14 seconds thanks to Mitchell Balmas working the puck to Daniel Leavens in front. Patrick Watling fired home a Colton Saucerman feed at 4:06 to double the lead on the powerplay, and then Daniel Ciampini scored shorthanded to have the Steelers three up in just over 11 minutes.

Coventry needed the next goal to stay in things, and they got it when Nick Seitz fed Jackson Cressy in front for a top-shelf finish to beat Matt Greenfield.

The Steelers could have been further ahead by the midway point of the second period, but some good killing kept them in things. At 33:15, David Clments’ shot from distance took all kinds of strange bounces to beat Greenfield and bring the hosts back to within one. Brandon Whistle re-established the visitors’ two-goal cushion at 35:35, the goal scored on a powerplay after Kim Tallberg was ejected for slashing. Kevin Moore challenged the goal for goalie interference but lost, putting his side down to three skaters for the next two minutes.

Excellent penalty killing from the Blaze saw them survive both the minor and what was left of the major on Tallberg.

4:24 into period three, Jakob Stridsberg shot past Greenfield from the point to make it a one-goal game again. And there was late drama still to come! With 1:45 left on the clock Grayson Constable slotted into a half-open cage after Chase Gresock’s initial attempt was saved. The Steelers protested as Greenfield had knocked the net off, but the officials confirmed the on-ice decision.

Off the very next faceoff, Mark Simpson was ejected for cross-checking, giving the Blaze a major penalty to try and win the game. Greenfield, and a couple of excellent blocks, kept the Blaze at bay and both sides took a point with the game heading into overtime.

Coventry had the better chances to win the extra point in OT with shots coming back off the iron, but the deadlock still couldn’t be broken, and the game was decided in a shootout. Daniel Ciampini had the winning penalty shot in round five after Balmas and Gresock were the only scorers through four.