HIGHLIGHTS: Watch how Sheffield Steelers fought back to sink Nottingham Panthers
SHEFFIELD STEELERS overturned a three-goal deficit to stun long-time rivals Nottingham Panthers and secure a place at the Elite League's play-off Final Four Weekend.
Trailing 5-2 from the first leg in Nottingham on Saturday night, many had written off Paul Thompson’s team.
But a first-period strike from Levi Nelson and then a scintillating short-handed breakaway strike from captain Jonathan Pillips in the 38th minute gave the 6,000-strong home crowd hope going into the third period.
The home side drew level overall in the 48th minute through Markus Milsson’s determination to follow-up his face-off win saw him prod the puck through back-up netminder Dan Green’s legs.
Then the Steelers went 4-0 ahead and 6-5 in front overall through a Robert Dowd slapshot on the powerplay with less than five minutes left.
It looked as though that would be enough until – with just eight seconds remaining – Chris Lawrence tipped in a Stephen Schultz shot to draw the Panthers level and send the game into 10 minutes of 4-on-4 overtime.
Thankfully for the home side, the hero came from their ranks - Guillaume Desbiens driving down the ice and to the net where he poked home the winner through Green’s legs to seal a stunning 7-6 aggregate triumph.
Green was called into action after the Panthers’ first-choice goalie Miika Wiikman had to be stretchered off the ice following a collision involving Steelers’ John Armstrong and a Panthers defenceman.
Armstrong was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct for interference, while Wiikman was later assessed by doctors at a local hospital before being released and travelling home on the team bus.