Sheffield Steeldogs suffer NIHL National title blow after former player takes lead role in fightback
SHEFFIELD STEELDOGS paid the price for a poor second period as they lost ground on leaders Swindon Wildcats in the NIHL National title race.
Leading 2-1 at the halfway mark at Telford Tigers - who had been hammered 9-1 at Swindon the previous night - the Steeldogs looked well-placed to extend their winning streak to four games.
But a four-goal blast inside seven minutes from the home team - including two from former Steeldogs’ forward Tate Shudra - left the visitors rocking as they went in for the second intermission 6-2 adrift.
Defenceman Liam Steele pulled a goal back on the power play with his 10th of the season at 57.21 but it was too late to have any impact on the outcome.
Even then, an impressive Telford were able to post a quick response, David Thomson making it 6-3 just 17 seconds later.
Earlier, Jonathan Phillips had got the visitors on the board, his 21st-minute strike cancelling out a third-minute opener from the Tigers’ Rhodes Mitchell-King.
Bair Gendunov grabbed his 24th of an impressive first season in the UK to make it 2-1 at 28.00 but that provoked a strong response from the home team.
Scott Mckenzie levelled at 32.22 before Harry Ferguson put Telford ahead for a second time just under two minutes later.
Then Shudra got in on the act, firing home his first at 36.11 and then doubling his tally for a 6-2 lead with just four seconds of the period remaining. It continued a successful season for the 21-year-old who has scored 15 goals and eight assists in 33 appearances since swapping Sheffield for Telford last summer.
With Swindon edging out hosts Romford Raiders 5-4, the defeat in Shropshire leaves the Steeldogs three points behind and having played three games more. Telford are in fourth, just four points off third-placed Leeds Knights but having played two games more.