Sheffield Steelers 6-2 Basingstoke Bison

Sheffield missing Steve Munn as Joey Talbot returns after missing the game in Hull. Bison still missing the influential Eric Braff.

3148 saw Sheffield kill the game in the opening period. Rod Sarich fired past an unsighted keeper (4:16) on the powerplay. Joey Talbot broke away up the right to net a short-handed marker (11:34) as Ryan Finnerty sat a tripping penalty. Finnerty returned to put away a rebound (12:27). Ashley Tait fired home from the left wing (17:45) and it was pretty much game over. Former Bison player-coach Doug Sheppard buried a rebound on another powerplay (21:25) but new signing Matthew Miller deflected the puck through Jody Lehman's pads at the goal crease (24:51) as the visitors kept plugging away. Finnerty lifted the puck home from close in (36:39) giving Sheffield the luxury of icing their British back-up goalie Dan Green against his old club. Green's shut-out was broken when Brent Hughes broke up the right and Brad Cruickshank buried his pass low and hard as Bison killed a tripping penalty on Doug Chambers.

Ex-Steeler Jeremy Cornish announced his return with two 5 minute fighting majors. Teammate Curtiss Patrick and Shefield's Jeff Legue, Randy Dagenais and Andrew Sharp also took fighting majors. Sheffield had all the early pressure and Kevin Breiter was busy in the Bison net denying Jason Hewitt, Robert Dowd and Mark Thomas. Miller's roughing penalty was punished as Sarich drilled home following the resulting face-off. A minute later Breiter made a double save as Talbot followed up Thomas' shot. Patrick's interference penalty forced a top drawer save as Jonathan Phillips popped up close-in.

Bison began to get back into the game and Danny Stewart's screened shot was parried to Hughes who forced another 2 saves. Soon after Finnerty took his tripping penalty and Stewart and Cruickshank forced further saves but Talbot chraged the puck down and broke away to score in style. As Finnerty returned Phillips drilled in a pass from the right which Nathan Gillies redirected at goal, Breiter padding the puck out for Finnerty to whip home.

A challenge on Legue produced two fights as Cornish, Patrick, Dagenais and Scott Basiuk headed for the box with Legue also taking a fighting penalty. Breiter was kept busy and it was no surprise when Tait extended the lead.

Early in the middle session Phillips fired in from the left and Hughes took an interference penalty as Phillips chased the rebound. Legue's shot was saved but Sheppard scored from the left following Tait's initial shot.

Bison weren't giving up however and Kurt Reynolds' shot from distance trickled in via Miller's deflection. Back came Sheffield and Gillies was twice denied.

With the tempo going out of the game, Sharp was getting more ice time but took a slashing penalty after a rare shot. He emerged back into the game to clash with Cornish and the pair dropped the gloves for fighting majors. When Basiuk took a holding penalty near his own net, Bison piled on the pressure and Miller's shot produced an almighty scramble but Sheffield kept the puck out of their goal. Back at full strength Hewitt and Gillies forced saves, before Gillies set-up Finnerty close-in to net high.

Bison made Dan Green work hard during the final period, but only Cruickshank could find the net. Chambers, Reynolds and Trevor Read tried their luck early on, though Talbot kept working Reiter at the other end.

Miller was proving a real handful and Green tripped the Bison forward as he pursued the puck. Bison failed to test Green before Chambers took a tripping penalty behind the Sheffield goal. Gillies forced a save, but a minute later Hughes broke away and Cruickshank fired home. Chambers almost added a second short-handed marker as Patrick sat a tripping penalty. Miller got away and dropped the puck off for Chambers to fire a screened shot only for Green to produce a great save.