Eisbaren Berlin 4 Sheffield Steelers 2: Berlin celebrate 9-5 overall win as Steelers' Champions Hockey League journey is ended

On the night, Eisbaren Berlin – already 5-3 ahead following last week’s first leg in Shefield – won 4-2 to give them a deserved 9-5 aggregate victory.

It was a fair outcome but – much like they did on home ice – the Steelers had plenty of moments and, on another night, may have pulled off what would have been an astonishing comeback.

It looked like that was on the cards when Marc-Olivier Vallerand fired them 1-0 ahead in the 13th minute to reduce the overall deficit to one in a first period the Steelers dominated.

But the DEL champions hit back hard in the second period, scoring twice in as many minutes – first through Yannick Veilleux and then Korbinian Geibel – to take a 7-4 overall lead into the final 20 minutes of regulation.

That lead became four when Ty Ronning scored in the 49th minute and although the Steelers got a second through Mitchell Balmas late on, the hosts were handed a bizarre fourth empty net goal by Blaine Byron, despite the Steelers’ Patrick Watling being laid out on the ice after a nasty-looking collision caused by a late hit from a Berlin defenceman.

There will be concerns over the fitness of Watling, as well as that of goaltender Matt Greenfield who was forced off the ice injured after just four minutes.

Regardless of the result, though, the Steelers have given their European rivals plenty to think about on their third foray into the CHL, one that has brought wins over Sweden's Skelleftea and Vaxjo Lakers, as well as Sparta Prague and Dynamo Pardubice from Czechia.

They have set a new level for Elite League teams in the competition by reaching the last 16 in the new format and it can only be hoped that they can return next season and build on their achievements.

The Steelers had the better of the opening exchanges with Balmas going close when he swivelled in front of net only to be denied by the outstretched left pad of Jake Hildebrand in the fifth minute,

They were then hit by a major blow when goaltender Greenfield had to leave the ice suffering what looked like an injury to his thigh – which could very well have occurred when he was clipped behind the net by Berlin’s Gabriel Fontaine after just 60 seconds, for which he was sent to the penalty box on a goalie interference call.

Marco De Filippo came in for his first taste of CHL action and was called upon almost immediately when the Steelers were forced on to the penalty kill after Patrick Watling took a hooking call in the ninth minute.

Shortly after that came to an end, Olivier Galipeau went to the box for Berlin for the same infraction and the Steelers were soon rewarded for their impressive start.

Just over a minute into the power play, Sacha Guimond found Vallerand in the right circle from where he fired through a screen provided by Watling and past Hildebrand to reduce the overall deficit to just one goal with 12.05 on the clock.

The Steelers came close to levelling the tie overall soon after but were denied by some desperate defence by the hosts in front of their net. At the other end, De Filippo made a sharp pad save off Ronning from just in front before the rebound cannoned off his left-hand post, across the crease and away to safety.

With just under two minutes remaining, captain Robert Dowd forced Hildebrand into a sharp save when he rounded the net and fired in from close range.

The Steelers successfully killed off the remaining part of the tripping call handed out to Watling but remained under pressure from the hosts, who restored their two-goal cushion in the 25th minute.

Veilleux broke free down the middle and poked his shot through De Filippo’s legs and while it initially looked like the Steelers’ goalie had saved the effort, his right leg inadvertently nudged the puck over the line at 24.18.

The tie then started to get away from the Steelers when Berlin took the lead on the night less than two minutes later.

A face-off win saw the puck fall to Geibel who got his shot off quickly allowing him to beat De Filippo low down on the right-hand side at 25.48.

Just before the halfway point, the Steelers came close to reducing the deficit again when Maxim Golod drove down centre ice but was denied by Hildebrand when one-on-one.

De Filippo then denied Berlin from going further ahead as Eric Hordler bore down on his goal off the right boards in the 32nd minute.

The Steelers then steadied themselves after the German onslaught and enjoyed some zone time of their own, Daniel Leavens working well in the left corner before firing the puck across the face of the goal to Joona Huttula at the back post, but he was denied by a quick-moving Hildebrand.

The Steelers had power play opportunities to get back in the game, Hildebrand using his stick to deny Sacha Guimond from distance and then getting down quickly to deny Mark Simpson at the foot of his left-hand post.

A 5-on-3 chance also came the way of the Steelers – one that briefly became a 6-on-3 when they dared to pull De Filippo from his net – but Vallerand missed a good chance to convert, before Watling was denied from close-range shortly after.

With only 20 minutes of regulation remaining, Berlin were content to pass the puck around and eat up time, but the Steelers almost got on the board for a second time when Watling’s speculative effort from the right boards almost richocheted in off Simpson’s skate.

On a rare dart into the Steelers zone, Berlin were able to effectively kill the tie off. De Filippo could only parry Mitchell Reinke’s initial shot, the puck falling to Leonhard Pföderl, who cleverly pulled it back from just below the goalline to Ronning, who was left with an empty net to fire into for an 8-4 aggregate lead.

Steelers pulled De Filoppo again goalie to give them just under two minutes of 6-on-4 power play. Even though they were unable to find a way past Hildebrand, they did reduce the arrears when Balmas swept the puck home at 57.00 after a scramble in front of the Berlin net

To add insult to injury for the visitors, Watling then had to be stretchered off after a check from behind sent him sprawling into team-mate Huttula, leaving the forward sprawled on the ice as Byron fired into the empty net with just over two minutes remaining.

While Fox and his players waited for a penalty to be called and Watling was tended to on the ice, instead, the officials awarded no penalty but allowed Blaine’s effort to stand, for a 4-2 victory on the night.