Never quit, never give up – how Sheffield Steelers stars helped GB achieve ‘impossible’ dream

Having lost all six previous games many thought it a foregone conclusion that France – a top-tier team since 2008 – would ensure they remained among the elite when they lined up against Pete Russell’s team a year ago today in Kosice.

After the first period it was all square with neither team able to break the deadlock, GB comfortably matching their more lofty opponents.

But three strikes in four second period minutes – the second and third coming within six seconds of each other – put France 3-0 up with less than half of the game gone. There seemed little way back for Russell’s team, but his decision to call a timeout straight after France’s third proved an inspired move. The rest, as they say, is history.

Tonight, Freesports will broadcast One Incredible Night, a repeat of the match with insight and commentary from many of the players and staff involved.

Four Sheffield Steelers’ players contributed on the day – defencemen Davey Phillips and Ben O’Connor, along with forwards Robert Dowd and Jonathan Phillips. Their former Steelers team-mate Liam Kirk and Rotherham-born goaltender Ben Bowns also played significant roles.

Below, along with head coach Russell, is how the game unfolded in the words of some of those Yorkshire heroes ....

27.37: After being tied at the end of the first period, GB find suddenly find themselves 3-0 down, France scoring three goals in four minutes, the second and third strikes coming within six seconds of each other. Russell calls his timeout.

Pete Russell: “I felt we were playing pretty well in the game and then they kind of sucker-punched us with two quick ones. I just reminded them of where we’d found ourselves in Hungary the previous year and that we were in a worse position than we were against France, two goals down with far less time to go and we managed to turn it.”

34.59: After an interception inside the blue line by O’Connor, he feeds an unmarked Dowd, who backhands past Florian Hardy to make it 3-1.

Robert Dowd: “Everyone was tiring because it was at the end of a shift and they went to break out, Benny (O’Connor) anticipated them trying to go across ice and he picked it off in the middle and I remember thinking ‘Please, pass it, pass it!’ because I was wide open

“And sure enough, with his vision, Benny slid it through to me and all I had to do was then beat the goalie. It was a huge moment for us. We knew we needed to get on the board before the end of the second and we needed to answer back after conceding those two quick ones, because if we didn’t do that the game could have got away from us.”

38.04: Davey Phillips feeds O’Connor from the right boards, his Steelers’ team-mate skilfully creating space for a shot on goal which eventually falls to Mike Hammond to tap the puck home to make it 3-2.

Ben O’Connor: “Davey Phillips made a great pass over from the right boards and I just wanted to get it through on net. I did a little bit of a shimmy and a shake, got the puck through and Hammy was in the right place at the right time.

“We felt great going into that second break, our legs weren’t tired and we were in a game where we were touching the puck for once and we just didn’t want to stop.”

45.16: Off a feed around the boards from Davey Phillips, Robert Farmer works an opening before firing home over Hardy’s left shoulder to make it 3-3

Davey Phillips: “I saw Farms down in the corner and gave the puck to him to keep the play alive. He did a fantastic job, he’s a big guy, has great composure and did really well to create that space for himself and take the puck to the net.

“He’s always been really good at those tight-angled shots and chipped it in off the goalie’s shoulder. I didn’t really do that much, but it was nice to be a part of the game-tying goal.”

62.03: Having survived an almighty scare in overtime which saw Bowns and O’Connor somehow prevent the puck from going in, from a face-off close to their own net, Ben Davies pushes the puck into the offensive zone. Jonathan Phillips wins the ensuing footrace, rides the incoming hit and feeds the on-rushing Davies, who shows neat skill to back-hand over Hardy for the winning goal.

Jonathan Phillips: “When Jonas Westerling was at the Steelers, when we were on the penalty kill in the defensive zone, we used to have this play where if we noticed the other team’s D man was lined up towards one side, Westy used to fire it over the other side and off I’d go.

“It’s very hard, especially when it is 5-on-4, to get anything from it, but in the France game, it was 3-on-3 overtime and I’d spotted their D-man really tight to the boards on our right.

“I leaned in to Ben and told him to push it forward towards the other side. He just got the perfect amount of wood on it and I set off and managed to get there first.

“I knew the hit was coming and I managed to keep the puck on my stick as I went down and as I jumped up I knew Ben would be following up. All I had to do was put it in the right area – and what a move he made to score. Then it was just sheer party mode.”

Dowd: “It was one of the best feelings I’ve had as a player – fantastic. To achieve that in front of such a big audience was amazing.”

Davey Phillips: “To prove so many people wrong – especially those who didn’t think we deserved to be there – was a great feeling.”

O’Connor: “We’re a team that has never given up, never quit – we showed that the year before in Hungary – it was just brilliant.”

‘One Incredible Night’ is broadcast on Wednesday night on Freesports, 8pm.

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