Sheffield Steelers 3OT4 Newcastle Vipers

Newcastle missing Andre Payette.

3300 saw Vipers graft their way to both points after 3 goals in 3 shots in 85 middle period seconds seemed to have set Steelers on the way to victory. Jonathon Weaver roofed the winner from 8 feet with just 42 seconds of overtime remaining to clinch this one.

In the opening minute of the game Mark Dutiaume raced down the left and rattled a shot into keeper Trevor Koenig's face mask. In the 4th minute Jeremy Cornish turned on Mike Peron taking an extra two minutes as they both headed for the box. Koenig made a great pad save to his right from Martin Masa on the powerplay but otherwise Vipers looked comfortable.

With Matus Petricko sitting a tripping minor, Vipers had a big escape. Ron Shudra's pass from the left was blocked and the puck fell back to him. With Koenig moving to block the anticipated pass, Shudra shot at the unguarded net but hit the near post.

Dutiuame and Petricko tested the goalies with the game becoming more even. Then Vipers found the net from the right wing. Paul Ferone fired in and Petricko deflected the puck home (13:07).

In the opening minute of the middle period Stefan Sjogren forced a good save from Koenig with Dutiaume poised for the rebound. Then Matt Beveridge blasted wide from point-blank range after David Longstaff fed the puck out from behind the net. Vipers began to press and Cornish, Longstaff, Pavel Gromenyuk and Cory Morgan all forced saves.

Dutiaume and Shudra forced saves from distance as Cornish served a roughing minor and Sheffield started to get back into the game. Simon Butterworth shot wide from close-in as he struggled to fend off his marker.

Simon Leach took a holding penalty and just over a minute later Gromenyuk and Masa clashed for roughing penalties. From the face-off Rod Sarich fired past an unsighted Koenig (34:33).

Vipers went straight on the attack and Lehman did well to block a bullet from Cornish. From the face-off Lehman turned aside Weaver's shot and Warren Tait broke up the middle releasing Paul Sample. He passed to Stefan Sjogren arriving down the left and he rifled home Sheffield's second (34:57). A minute later Kent Simpson netted from the left wing and the home fans were in full voice (35:56).

However Morgan side-stepped Jody Lehman with ease to pull a goal back (38:20).

Just 19 seconds into the third period Shaun Johnson carried the puck from the middle to the left wing and his shot found the net (40:19). With Vipers on top Ferone and Petricko broke away 2-on-1, Ferone electing to shoot and Lehman made the save with Jason Robinson penalised for holding.

On the powerplay Lehman did well to blank David Longstaff at the right post.

Kent Simpson got away but blasted his shot high and wide. Koenig made a double save from Jason Hewitt and Gavin Farrand.

With 5 minutes remaining the puck fell kindly for Ferone following a left wing face-off. Lehman pulled off the save of the game to stop the shot and not give up a rebound.

In the first minute of overtime Robinson couldn't force the puck home at Koenig's left post. At the other end Ferone robbed Sarich in front of the Sheffield net but the puck ran wide.

Sarich forced a pad save from the right wing and a Vipers long pass saw David Longstaff sweep down the left wing. With Petricko pushing up, Longstaff pulled the puck back and Jonathon Weaver netted the winner upsatirs as Lehman stacked the pads to make himself as big as possible (64:18).