EIHL Game Report: Sheffield Steelers 2 Belfast Giants 1

The Sheffield Steelers had to rely on some second period heroics from their goalie Frank Doyle on Sunday night as they picked up a huge home win against the Belfast Giants.

Doyle, who saved two penalty shots in the second period, kept his team in the game for long enough to allow Jonathan Phillips to find a game winning goal with just under ten minutes to play to give the Steelers the 2-1 victory.

Post-game, Head Coach Doug Christiansen spoke of the significance of the win and of the performance saying: “the team played great, we finished our segment and accomplished our goals, it’s all about inching forward and achieving goals, and we did that tonight, now we move forward to a new one but there’s no question tonight was an important game between two really good teams and Belfast are a team we will have to beat if we want to accomplish our goals.”

Despite an impressive performance however the Steelers did find themselves trailing early on as the Giants stole the initial momentum. Belfast took the lead as Darryl Lloyd found a channel through the defensive line, and sublimely finished after Jeff Mason fed him the puck to put his side up 1-0. From there though the Steelers would come out fighting and really see the best of the rest of period, Phillips went close soon after as the teams traded powerplays before Stefan Meyer drew the sides level. Meyer scored from close range after an assist from Captain Steven Goertzen with less than five minutes to play in the first period, which almost saw the Steelers take the lead as Dustin Kohn went close before Jeff Legue found the net just seconds after the goal had been displaced.

The Second Period then proved perhaps one of the most significant of the Steelers’ season so far as Belfast came close countless times only to denied by an unmovable Sheffield defence. Although Jason Hewitt and Drew Fata had opportunities early on for the home side, the onslaught soon began as Belfast were awarded the first of their two penalty shots two minutes in. Jeffrey Schewz was the man to take it, being brilliantly denied by Doyle.

Christiansen spoke post-game of his goalie’s efforts in the lead-up to this fixture: “In practice this week Frank has been unbelievable, the whole team was behind him, and timely saves are just as important as goal scoring; the two penalty shots were just massive.”

The Giants pressed on in the second, going close time and again as Doyle saved a 1-on-1 opportunity before Goertzen made a crucial block close to his own net. On thirteen minutes, Doyle would be put to the ultimate test again, as Mark Thomas’ hooking penalty resulted in another penalty shot. This time Gareth Roberts would do the honours for Belfast, but the change in personnel made no difference as Doyle again was unflappable in saving the shot.

The Giants would soon be left cursing their wastefulness and Doyle’s heroics, as the tides shifted in the third period and the Steelers came out firing for the final twenty minutes. With score in the balance at 1-1, Sheffield peppered Stephen Murphy in Giants’ net, going close through Thomas as well as Nate Dicasmirro and Robert Dowd before finally breaking the deadlock.

There was a hint of fortune surrounding the winner, as Jason Hewitt, playing in his 500th game for the club, made a great play behind the net before firing in a shot that somehow was deflected in to the path of Phillips, who may not have known much about it as the puck ricocheted of his leg and into the net to give the Steelers the go ahead goal at 2-1.

Post-game, the feeling of importance around the game was undeniable, for both teams the game represented a tough test against a side that will be challenging all year, with the Steelers this time coming away with the points which see them move up to third in the Elite League standings, and continue their climb towards where they expected to be at that start of the year, at the summit of the EIHL table.