Sheffield Steelers take Elite League title defence down to final game of 2024-25 season

Trailing 2-0 to Cardiff Devils in the 25th minute, prospects of taking the fight into the final game at Coventry Blaze on Sunday looked bleak for Aaron Fox’s team.

But they dragged themselves back level just over three minutes into the third, although they still needed a shoot-out to get the two points they needed - leaders Belfast Giants having pipped Nottingham Panthers 2-1 in overtime at the SSE Arena.

It sets up a grandstand finish with the Steelers one point behind the Giants, who head to Nottingham today needed to secure two points, anything less combined with a Steelers win in Coventry will see the Steelers crowned champions for a second year running.

Head coach Fox admitted there were some nerves among his players given what was at stake but always felt they had what was needed to get the job done.

“I loved our pushback after they went 2-0 up and it was probably five minutes into the second that I felt we started to play our game,” said Fox. “We simplified things, played inside, got pucks behind their D got on the forecheck

“The first period, I felt like maybe we played a bit of panicked hockey, the stakes are high, obviously, so sometimes you don’t want to make a mistake but you’ve also got to trust your game and make plays and make the game a little bit more difficult than we did for Cardiff.”

Cardiff went ahead after the Steelers coughed up the puck in their own zone, Tyler Busch picking it up on the left boards before finding Kohen Olischefski all alone in centre ice from where he beat Matt Greenfield at 18.02.

The home crowd was left fearing the worst when Cody Donaghey’s stretch pass found Brett Perline who broke clear and squeezed the puck through Greenfield to make it 2-0 at 24.05.

But the Steelers were back in the game just over five minutes later when Patrick Watling redirected Colton Saucerman’s throw on net from the right circle.

Just over three minutes into the third, Joona Huttula drove down the middle and saw his effort repelled by Bowns, only for the puck to fall for Mitchell Balmas who made no mistake with the rebound.

A goalless overtime followed leading to the shootout, Mikko Juusola getting Steelers ahead, with Balmas adding a second, while Cardiff missed all four of their attempts.

“After we scored that first goal I felt our game was really good,” added Fox. “I thought Bownsy (Cardiff goalie) played outstanding tonight and we didn’t give up much other than off the rush. Defensively I felt we were really, really good

“It was just one of those nights where we needed to find a way to keep ourselves in this and unfortunately things didn’t go as hoped in Belfast.

“But again, it’s a one-point hockey game for us, anything can happen in that barn in Nottingham and we’ll go and try and win a hockey game and take what we get.”