Weekend Review: Sheffield Steelers stay in Elite League title race as Leeds Knights, Hull Seahawks and Sheffield Steeldogs close out NIHL National regular season

Belfast responded with a 5-2 win over Guildford Flames on Sunday but the Steelers are breathing down their necks, just a point behind.

The Giants have a game in hand on the Steelers – and third-placed Nottingham Panthers who are a point further behind – which takes place this Wednesday when they host bottom club Fife Flyers.

Nottingham also play that night, welcoming play-off chasing Manchester Storm to the Motorpoint Arena. The Steelers are next in action on Saturday when they host Dundee Stars before a trip to Fife the following day.

On Saturday, following on from their 10-2 hammering of Glasgow Clan on Friday, the Steelers ensured they posted a four-point weekend with a 4-1 win over play-off chasing Manchester Storm. They had to come from behind after going 1-0 down to a Dallas Ehrhardt strike.

The comeback started almost immediately when Steelers’ captain Robert Dowd, pictured, levelled just 39 seconds later, with just another 90 seconds having passed when defenceman Sacha Guimond put the hosts ahead.

Less than two minutes of the second period had elapsed before the Steelers put themselves further ahead through a second goal for Dowd. Their grip on the game was strengthened in the 34th minute through Marc-Olivier Vallerand, the result hurting Manchester’s hopes of overhauling Dundee Stars for the eighth and final play-off spot.

In NIHL National, Leeds Knights enjoyed a post-match trophy presentation for their third straight league title, but couldn’t mark a special night at Elland Road with a win after going down 2-1 to Peterborough Phantoms.

They then lost out 4-3 in a shootout at Hull Seahawks in an entertaining derby, the point gained enough to see the Knights finish the regular season one point clear of Milton Keynes Lightning.

Their third straight league crown had been sealed the weekend before, however, when their 3-1 win at Milton Keynes formed part of a six-point weekend which meant they could not be overtaken by their Buckinghamshire rivals.

After the hosts classily showed their respect to the recently-crowned champions by forming a guard of honour for their entrance on to the ice, the Knights went ahead early against a depleted Seahawks team – missing several players following the previous night’s abandoned game at Bristol Pitbulls – when Fin Bradon struck in the third minute.

Declan Jones redirected a Josh Hodgkinson throw on net in the 16th minute and then it was Hull who got in front through Emil Svec at 26.50.

The Knights levelled through Oli Endicott before the period was closed and got their noses in front again when Bradon doubled his tally on the power oplay at 43.03.

But Lee Bonner’s determination to get to a rebound off goalie Harrison Walker first in the 55th minute ensured an entertaining bout of overtime with chances at both ends.

In the shootout, Svec, Johnny Corneil and Owen Sobchak got the better of Walker, which was enough for the extra point and a fourth-place regular season finish when only Bradon and Kieran Brown replied for the Knights.

On Saturday, The Knights went ahead against Peterborough through an eighth-minute strike from Mac Howlett as they looked to extend their winning streak to 12 games. But they were to be denied when, first, Cameron Hough equalised at 8.49 before Louie Kynaston struck with what proved to be the winning goal just before the halfway mark.

Hull’s clash at Bristol Pitbulls was abandoned with just under five minutes remaining, the hosts awarded the points given they were leading 6-3 at the time.

The early finish came about as a result of a bench clearance involving both teams with several major penalties handed out to players on both sides.

Penalties handed out to Seahawks’ Bobby Chamberlain, Lee Haywood and Jordan Fisher – all banned for Sunday’s game against Leeds – have been sent to the EIH Department of Player Safety, with head coach Matty Davies – also banned from the bench on Sunday – now waiting to find out what punishment will be handed down.

Goals from Walker Sommer, Jack Brammer, Henry Adams and Nathan Ripley took Sheffield Steeldogs’ game at Berkshire Bees into overtime, with Ivan Björkly-Nordström coming up trumps just under three minutes in to secure a 5-4 win for Ben Morgan’s team.

The Steeldogs closed out their regular season campaign with a loss, however, when they went down 8-4 at home to third-placed Swindon Wildcats.

Elmeri Hällfors got on the board twice, alongside Nathan Ripley and Björkly-Nordström but it wasn’t enough to prevent a 35th win of the season for the visitors, for who Glenn Billing, Edgars Bebris and Jake Bricknell all scored twice.