Steelers thrash Flames in shutout win

Photo: Hayley Roberts

Sheffield Steelers scored after just 49 seconds and never looked back with an emphatic victory over Guildford Flames at the Utilita Arena.

It took under a minute for the Steelers to go ahead. With 49 seconds gone, Joona Huttula tipped past Jake Kupsky on a pass from Patrick Watling to open the scoring. With 4:20 played, a neat reverse pass behind the net from Daniel Leavens set up Brandon Whistle to squeeze the puck past Kupsky short side. 

The Flames had a powerplay chance to get themselves back into the game, but a bouncing puck on the blue line got Charli Curti into trouble, and allowed Whistle to race through and score shorthanded to make it 3-0 at 9:19. 

Guildford saw a Sam Talbot shot come back off the post and bounce clear as nothing semeed to go their way in the opening 20 minutes.

The Steelers quickly added to their lead in period two with Mitchell Balmas finishing a feed across the slot from Mikko Juusola 89 seconds into the second.

Having appeared to have stemmed the tide with just one goal against in period two, the Flames had an outside chance of getting back into things in the third. 

That vanished 26 seconds into the period when Kevin Tansey tipped Balmas' shot past Kupsky, while five and a half minutes later the same provider set up Sacha Guimond for a one-timer from the point. Cole Shudra got in on things off a loose puck at 46:42, while Ivan Bjorkly Nordstrom scored his first professional goal when he reacted fastest to a Maxim Golod pass in front. Whistle made it a hat trick with 23 seconds to play as the Steelers celebrated an excellent night on home ice.