Sheffield Steelers: Frustration all-round as arch-rivals Nottingham Panthers dent EIHL title ambitions

SHEFFIELD STEELERS’ Elite League title hopes were hit by a setback at the worst possible venue after arch-rivals Nottingham Panthers shut them out for a 3-0 victory.

Without injury victims netminder Barry Brust and utility player Evan Mosey, the Steelers were also to lose defenceman Davy Phillips late on in the game with a lower body injury, the GB international also missing out in Sunday night’s 5-2 win at Fife Flyers, a result which rescued the weekend for the South Yorkshire team.

It could not have got off to a worst possible start at the NIC for the Steelers 24 hours earlier, though, when the hosts took the lead after just 16 seconds, defenceman Kevin Massy jumped up into the play and snuck to the back post to convert a superb Kevin Domingue pass, scoring with their first shot of the game.

The Steelers were visibly shook and it took them several minutes to re-adjust and stem the Panthers’ relentless flow.

The visitors eventually regained their composure and had their own chances late in the period with Robert Dowd striking the post and top scorer Marco Vallerand seeing his effort on the powerplay go close.

Steelers’ netminder Rok Stojanovic was called upon early in the second period to deny the Panthers on a 2-on-1 opportunity with a superb diving save at 23.38.

Sheffield came close once again at 32.24 when Vojtech Polák forced a save from Panthers’ netminder Kevin Carr but Justin Hodgman couldn’t fire home the rebound as he was brought down by a wayward high stick on the play.

The Panthers doubled their advantage at 37.22 with a shorthanded goal. Sean Richards was quick to react to an unlucky bounce off Steelers’ defenceman Kevin Schulze’s skate, which set the Panthers forward on a breakaway and he backhanded high past Stojanovic.

The Steelers rallied in the third period with a barrage of shots on Carr, but he was equal to the test with a masterful performance between the pipes. He was also helped out by the metal work as it denied key chances from both Polák and Dowd.

With just under four minutes of the game remaining, the Panthers sealed the victory as Robbie Baillargeon took advantage of a breakdown in communication between Stojanovic and forward Matias Sointu, the Panthers forward slotting the puck home to make it 3-0.

Despite putting 38 shots on Kevin Carr, the Steelers simply weren’t clinical enough in front of goal resulting in Carr claiming his third shutout of the season.

“Some nights the pucks go in that you don’t expect to and some nights it’s a grind,” said Steelers’ head coach Aaron Fox. “Right now we haven’t been a very lucky team and with the injury side of things as well.

“At this time of the season we can’t make excuses, we just have to find a way to win important hockey games if we want to win a Championship.”