Sheffield Steelers 4-0 Manchester Phoenix

Sheffield missing Phil Hill (broken foot) but Mark Thomas returns and with Scimitars not playing tonight, youngsters Matt Towe and Rob Dowd play.

For Phoenix this was the last game for Robin Gomez before he returns to the states to play in the ECHL.

5410 saw Sheffield avenge their recent 5-1 loss to the Phoenix, and with Cardiff losing in Newcastle this result takes them up to 4th place.

Sheffield controlled the game from start to finish, this was their third successive win and the confidence was there for all to see.

Shaun Sutter finished a flowing move with the opening goal fired home from the right wing (9:40). The same player was then released down the right and he cut in to the goal to backhand home (16:11). Scott Ricci killed the game netting a rebound on the doorstep after Jason Wolfe had blocked Jonothan Phillips (17:51) and Brett Clouthier rounded off the scoring lifting Tessier's pass from the left home at close range (23:11).

For the visitors their best chances came when Johan Molin broke away 13 minutes in but Shane Johnson took a hooking penalty to stop him. 10 minutes later Derek Campbell could only shake his head as Jody Lehman gloved his first time shot from 10 feet after Molin's intelligent pass from behind the net.

Phoenix rallied at the start of the final session but after Molin was thwarted from close range in the 44th minute they managed little real penetration despite 2 powerplays with virtually all their shots coming from distance. Only KC Timmons got in close, but his two shots from a tight angle low on the right were easily dealt with by Lehman.

In contrast Sheffield swept the puck around the ice all night long with some sweet passing moves and it could have been more had Wolfe not been in such fine form. He needed a little luck in the 32nd minute, however, when Clouthier backhanded the puck onto the inside of Wolfe's left post - but the puck bounced across the back of the goalie and out again.

In the final session Sheffield were more concerned with keeping a clean sheet - only their second of the season, the first arriving on Boxing Day at home to Hull - and they were aided by some indiscipline from the visitors.