Sheffield Steelers bow out of league action with dead rubber defeat

Sunday’s 0-4 shutout defeat came in a dead rubber match that didn’t affect the final standings.

But the scale of the reverse is still hard to swallow after a season that had promised so much.

The game in Wales followed a typically up-and-down 5-4 win the day before, at home to Glasgow Clan.

In many ways, the weekend was a metaphor for the entire season.

Sheffield have not done well against the top teams and that has cost them the title.

Play off success can still happen, though, according to coach Aaron Fox.

He still believes his players have enough to beat Manchester Storm in the quarter-finals.

Fox suggested they showed the character against a hard-working Clan that is required to win silverware.

But they may have to do it without Marco Vallerand, who was hurt on Saturday and had to undergo a hospital scan.

On reflection, Fox does not doubt that Belfast’s season-long mastery of Sheffield is the primary reason Giants won the EIHL title.

“If you look at our season as a whole, you break down different segments, and look at the points you had against each team the reality is regardless of what we do against some of the other teams it was the one and five (one win, five defeats) against Belfast that hooked us,” said the coach.

“If we went three and three against Belfast we would be in first place right now.

“They had our number, especially in the last two games.”

Fox now has the task of building a future side that can live with the Irish, who have won the league for three years running (Covid lockdown apart).

“They are a very good hockey team, hard to handle, do a lot right, their top line carries them, they have a second and third line that plays the right way, they play a heavy game,” he said adding the return of netminder Tyler Beskorowany had helped them go up a notch.

“He has had our number for sure these last two years.”

Sunday’s meaningless match, with back-up goalie Hayden Lavigne making his club debut, featured a Sheffield ‘goal’ in the first period, which was disallowed for goalie interference.

The incident involved Brendan Connolly, who later was hit with a 2+10 penalty for abuse of officials.

Justin Crandall put Devils ahead just before the first interval.

Brandon McNally, back from suspension, followed Connolly in the ref’s bad books; he was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and Devils made it 2-0 on the power play.

Steelers then collapsed, with Joshua Brittain and Joshua Waller making it 4-0 in a dizzying three-minute spell.

*Saturday’s game was painful, at times, with Vallerand skating straight into a mid-ice hit and Scott Allen being whacked by team-mate Calle Ackered’s shot.

The game only got going when Brendan Connolly clashed with Colton Waltz.

Chances then arrived, with home goalie Matt Greenfield having to deal with Gary Haden and Steven McParland.

It was 19:36 before Robert Dowd raced clear, and backhanded a rebound off Ty Taylor’s pads for 1-0.

A six-goal middle period had the fans off their seats.

Gary Haden flashed a puck over Greenfield’s shoulder to equalise and then John Dunbar and Gabriel Chabot

scored an unlikely double within 35 seconds.

Sheffield could scarcely believe they were 3-1 down but with Glasgow’s burly rearguard checking hard, the home side had to earn their way back.

That they did with Brett Neumann, twice, and Danny Kristo putting Fox’s men 4-3 up.

The stage was then set for man of the moment Robert Dowd, in his testimonial week, to score a goal of the season contender, for 5-3 at 43:51.

Mitch Jones added Clan’s fourth.

Glasgow then bid farewell to the retiring Steelers’ skipper Jonathan Phillips – a class act of sportsmanship and recognition.