Matt Greenfield shines despite Sheffield Steelers' Storm defeat
Sheffield Steelers lost to Manchester Storm on Saturday night
Matt Greenfield produced another outstanding performance between the pipes, but the Sheffield Steelers were unable to turn their territorial dominance into points as Manchester Storm left the Utilita Arena with a 3-1 victory on Saturday night.
The final score perhaps did little justice to Greenfield, who conceded just twice before Manchester added their third into an empty net with the Steelers goaltender pulled for an extra attacker.
On a night when Sheffield outshot their visitors 39-22, Greenfield was still called upon to make a number of important interventions and was deservedly named the Steelers’ Man of the Match.
The defeat was a frustrating one for Aaron Fox’s side, who enjoyed long periods of possession and created enough opportunities to have taken something from the contest.
After a scoreless opening period, Sheffield finally found the breakthrough at 27:52.
Olivier Archambault produced a superb finish to put the Steelers 1-0 ahead, with Tim Gettinger and Brandon Whistle collecting the assists.
Manchester, though, found a way back into the contest late in the second period.
Brady Gilmour levelled at 38:20, beating Greenfield with just 1:40 remaining before the interval and changing the complexion of a game Sheffield had largely controlled.
The decisive moment arrived just over four minutes into the final period when Tim McGauley struck to give Storm a 2-1 advantage.
Sheffield continued to push.
Logan Roe thought he had found the net during the third period, only for the officials to wave the effort away, while the Steelers continued to test Storm goaltender Drew DeRidder at the other end.
DeRidder was outstanding, turning aside 38 of Sheffield’s 39 shots as the home side searched desperately for an equaliser.
With time running out, Fox called his timeout and Greenfield headed to the bench as Sheffield threw on the extra attacker.
The gamble was understandable but Manchester took advantage, McGauley scoring his second of the evening into the empty net at 59:37 to complete the 3-1 scoreline.
That final goal should not detract from Greenfield’s contribution.
He faced 21 shots while on the ice, stopping 19 of them, and once again gave the Steelers every opportunity to remain in the contest until the closing seconds.
For Sheffield, however, it was a night of missed opportunities.
They had the majority of the shots, enjoyed the better of much of the contest and led midway through the game, but Storm were clinical when their chances arrived.
For Greenfield, it was another performance that demonstrated just why he remains such an important figure in Aaron Fox’s Steelers side.
Sheffield Steelers 1 Manchester Storm 3
Steelers scorer: Archambault
Steelers Man of the Match: Matt Greenfield