Stars get three-point weekend, win in Sheffield for first time in two years

Photo: Dean Woolley

Dundee Starts logged their first win at the Utilita Arena since October 2022 with a 4-2 win over Sheffield Steelers on Sunday afternoon.

The visitors started physically, a bit hit from Xavier Pouliot on Marc-Olivier Vallerand ended with both taking roughing minors. Mitchell Balmas had the best chance of the early stages but couldn’t finish into a half-empty net, while a few minutes later the Stars took the lead when Brett Gravelle fed Philippe Sanche at the fast post with 6:57 played. Vallerand set up Maxim Golod for a point-blank chance towards the end of the period, only for the shot to land straight in Jarret Fiske’s chest.

Dundee went two up early in period two. 5:08 had been played in the second when Cole MacDonald beat Marco De Filippo top shelf on the powerplay to double the visitors’ lead.

Moment after the Stars should have gone three up, Maxim Golod's stretch pass sent Vallerand through 1-on-0 to score with 32:24 on the clock to cut the lead down to one. Less than a minute later, however, Domenico Alberga knocked the puck over the line in close to put the Stars two ahead again.

Golod pulled another back for the Steelers with 4:44 remaining in the period to make it a one-goal game going into the final 20 minutes.

Having absorbed some decent Steelers pressure to stay ahead, the Stars counter-punched to give themselves some breathing room in the closing stages. Philippe Sanche fed Keanu Yamamoto on an odd-man rush to make it 4-2 with 4:42 remaining and settle the game.