Sheffield Steelers 2-3 Basingstoke Bison
(after penalty shots)

Sheffield captain Shawn Maltby returns and Vezio Sacratini (#28) and Agostino Casale (#12) make their debuts. Basingstoke missing Greg Wood.

3514 saw Greg Chambers win this one with the first and only successful penalty shot, wrapping the puck behind Jody Lehman as Curtis Cruickshank made 3 saves. It was sweet revenge for Bison who lost by the same margin in Basingstoke, but that game required 8 penalty shots each. If Sheffield could have converted a steady flow of powerplays the result would have been so different.

Mark De Santis swept down the right and his pass inside was rifled home by Kevin Bergin just 24 seconds into the game. Sheffield then passed up 88 seconds of 5-on-3 advantage, though Dan Tessier was unlucky to see his right wing shot come back off the bar.

Greg Owen poked home the loose puck following Chamber's left wing shot (16:54) but Sheffield hit back 15 seconds into the middle period when Rod Sarich rifled home and within 4 minutes Sheffield were level when Ian Manzano's shot bounced down behind the line (24:03). Both goals were set-up by Tessier.

That's the way it stayed, though Tessier was unable to take a golden chance just before Bison's second when Cruickshank threw himself forward to clear the puck and missed with Bison's defence blocking Shane Johnson's follow-up shot.

Sheffield had the better of the first half of the middle sesson, though Basingstoke finished strongly and Lehman lost his stick behind his goal blocking a rocket from Eric Branff. His defence intervened to block DeSantis cashing in.

Four minutes into the final session Sacratini intercepted low on the right and immediately fed Maltby in front of the far post, but Sheffield's captain put the chance wide.

Jason Hewitt tried a wrap-around at the same post with Brad Cruickshank serving a slashing penalty but Cruickshank shut the door to that and Hewitt's rebound.

With 6 minutes left Tessier's pass to the far post saw Scott Ricci fire wide and another minute saw Sacratini's shot gloved with Warren Tait hitting the rebound onto the post from close in.

But Bergin's big shot from the left wing needed to be scrambled clear in the final 2 minutes and Lehman needed a quick whistle early in overtime with Blair Manning chasing the pieces from another booming Bergin shot.

Chambers' delay of game penalty brought 4 saves by Cruickshank, but Branff broke up the ice and when his shot into Lehman's midriff bounced back he flipped the puck onto the bar but it came back out.

And so to penalties. Chambers netted, Sacratini, Greg Owen, Jonathan Phillips, Brad Cruickshank and Tessier all forcing saves but no goals.