Payette glows with pride at his ‘fantastic’ Steeldogs

ANDRE Payette hailed the achievement of his Sheffield Steeldogs team remaining top of the English Premier League for a second consecutive week as “unbelievable”.

The South Yorkshire club may have suffered their first defeat of the campaign in a 3-2 reverse at Basingstoke Bison on Saturday night, but they hit back in style on home ice 24 hours later to defeat 2010-11 play-off runners-up Milton Keynes Lightning 4-2.

It leaves the Steeldogs level on points with regular season defending champions Manchester Phoenix, but on top of the pile thanks to a superior goal difference.

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“It has been a fantastic start to the season for our team and unbelievable that we are still top of the league after another tough weekend,” said player-coach Payette.

“The guys are giving their all each game and I couldn’t be more proud of them. To play four games as they have against bigger teams in the league with probably the youngest set of players is superb.

“The results so far are a great testament to our commitment to being a blue-collar Sheffield team, of which our fans and city can be proud.”

It was Payette who got the weekend off to a flier for Sheffield, taking the lead at Basingstoke with 7.34 on the clock. Although the home team peppered Ben Bowns’s goal with 18 shots, they couldn’t find a way through.

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It wasn’t until the 35th minute that Bison were level through Steve Moria and three minutes later they were ahead through Marcel Petran. But the visitors hauled themselves level following good work by Payette and Greg Wood allowing Janis Ozolins to find the net.

Again Bowns found his goal under siege, eventually conceding three goals on 60 shots, the last of which came seven minutes into the third period when Joe Miller fired home.

Any disappointment felt on the bus back from Hampshire was quickly forgotten by Payette’s team once back in South Yorkshire.

Milton Keynes arrived at Ice Sheffield on the back of an impressive 5-2 victory over Manchester, but went into the first period break two goals adrift after, first, Andrew Hirst at 6.36 and then Ozolins eight minutes later, handed the initiative to the home team.

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Leigh Jameson halved the deficit at 35.28 but Edgars Bebris restored the home side’s two-goal lead four minutes later, although Juraj Gracik responded only 16 seconds later to leave it 3-2 to the Dogs at the end of the second.

It was the prolific Ozolins who came up trumps again in the third, sealing a third win in four games for Sheffield with his second of the night in the 50th minute.