Evan Jasper says Sheffield Steelers’ comeback against Nottingham Panthers can build belief
Sheffield Steelers came from behind to beat rivals Nottingham Panthers on Saturday night
Evan Jasper believes Sheffield Steelers’ comeback victory over Nottingham Panthers can give the team the belief that no game is beyond them.
The Steelers found themselves 2-0 behind at the Utilita Arena before producing a stirring recovery to win 4-2, scoring four unanswered goals against their biggest rivals.
Brien Diffley started the comeback before Adam Rockwood and Ryan Tait struck in the third period, with Sean Collins adding the empty-net finish.
For Jasper, it was the attitude inside the Sheffield dressing room that stood out most.
“Any time you’re going into the third period behind and then have a big comeback like that, it’s pretty significant,” he said.
“The boys were resilient and there was a lot of positivity between the second and third periods.
“We just stuck together on the bench.
“When you have comebacks like that, you start to feel like you can beat anyone in the league, no matter what the score is going into the third.”
Sheffield had created chances throughout the contest but initially struggled to turn their pressure into goals.
Jasper admitted that frustration can easily creep into a team in those situations, but believes the Steelers handled it well.
“We’re all human,” he said.
“Sometimes you can get a little negative or down on yourself and that’s when your teammates have to pick you back up.
“Everybody did a good job of getting their heads back in the game.
“The system we play is going to generate chances and they aren’t all going to go in.
“You just have to keep playing the same way and eventually it will.
“That’s what happened for us in the third period.”
The Steelers also received a major boost from their power play.
After struggling for consistency with the extra skater earlier in the season, Sheffield scored twice on the power play in the third period to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 advantage.
Jasper hopes that performance could prove another important step forward.
“We had some relentless pressure there, which was great, and then obviously the two power-play goals,” he said.
“I’ve had a couple of interviews before where the power play has been struggling a little bit, but maybe we’ve turned a corner on that.
“It’s always nice to win the special-teams battle.”
Jasper was also pleased to see Rockwood rewarded with a goal after the forward had created so much for his teammates.
“He has great vision,” Jasper said.
“It was nice that he scored one as well, so that was big for him.
“Hopefully when it rains, it pours and he can start putting them in the back of the net as well as setting other guys up.”