Busy Sheffield Steelers still on top after a day of rest

A 5-1 Challenge Cup quarter-final first leg win over Fife Flyers on Wednesday was followed up by one-goal league wins at Coventry Blaze – on Friday – and at home to Guildford Flames 24 hours later.

Saturday’s 6-5 victory was the Steelers’ second such win over Paul Dixon’s side in the space of seven days, Guildford coming off second best in a 4-3 defeat at the same Utilita Arena venue.

It meant that the Steelers could take yesterday off safe in the knowledge that they would still wake up this morning as Elite League leaders.

Cardiff drew level on points with Aaron Fox’s team again, but are at a slight disadvantage having played five games more.

Belfast, who edged out Cardiff 1-0 on Friday night in Northern Ireland, sit three points off the top two, having played the same number of games as the Steelers.

Three third-period goals were enough to help the Steelers to a second successive home victory over Guildford.

Robert Dowd got the credit for the Steelers’ opener at 9.57 before, just 50 seconds later, Evan Mosey made it 2-0. But powerplay markers from Chris Gerrie and Ian McNulty brought the Flames level by the end of the first period.

Ian Watters and Steelers’ Marco-Olivier Vallerand then traded powerplay strikes before the halfway mark, Levi Cable edging the visitors ahead again at 34.13.

But a shorthanded strike from Vallerand at 45.57 was followed three minutes later by Mosey’s second of the night to put the hosts in control, a situation improved further by Robert Dowd at 48.20. Robert Lachowicz scored late on for the visitors, but the Steelers bagged two vital points.