Sheffield Steelers 2-1 Manchester Phoenix

Sheffield at full strength, Manchester missing Brett Clouthier (ankle).

3425 saw Sheffield steal the points in this local derby thanks to a stellar performance from goalie Jody Lehman after Doug Sheppard (2:40) and Jeff Legue (8:40) left the visitors chasing the game. But indiscipline set in with Phoenix gaining 4 spells of 5-on-3 advantage and Manchester can only wonder they didn't have more than Sean Starke's goal (42:32) to show for it, despite heavily outshooting the home side 43-17.

Sheffield started quickly but their shots fizzed wide and instead Lehman was saving from Joe Tallari and Brian Passmore.

The home swept back up the ice and scored 8 seconds after Jeff MacMillan started an interference penalty. A neat passing move saw Sheppard convert from the right.

Phoenix came close to levelling when Tallari backhanded just wide when well placed. Seconds later Lehamn produced a good save from the same player but the puck fell to KC Timmons who hit the near post.

A long pass released Ryan Finnerty behind the visiting defence but he blasted wide.

Within a minute the home side had extended their lead when a wayward shot whistled behind Steelers' net and up the right wing. Legue chased hard and beat Phoenix keeper Scott Fankhouser's despairing lunge for the puck to leave a simple shot into the net.

Both sides offered their goalies better protection for the rest of the period, though Fankhouser turned aside another from Legue whilst Lehman did well to stop Omar Ennaffati's screened shot.

With 50 seconds left in the period a glorious pass to Tallari in space pulled a top drawer stop from Lehman to preserve his clean sheet.

Early in the second Adam Walker drove across the front of the net, the puck breaking to Tallari but Lehman turned the shot aside.

With Sheffield struggling to test Fankhouser, Tallari got clean away up the left but Lehman made another big save.

With Carl Graham sitting a slashing penalty Mangos blasted a good chance wide from 10 feet. Despite Sheffield having the powerplay, Lehman produced an outstanding double save diving from post to post in the process, and once again Tallari had been denied.

Then Sheffield started to run into penalty problems. Mark Thomas' hooking penalty brought an excellent save from Walker with Rod Sarich blocking Starke's follow up.

Ten seconds before Thomas returned Finnerty took a tripping penalty but Mangos talked his way to a misconduct for abuse.

Ennaffati and Tallari again forced saves but Sheppard's slashing minor gave Phoenix another 35 seconds of 5-on-3.

Manchester passed the puck around patiently waiting to tease an opening and another fine pass to Tony Hand at the back post would've produced a goal on most nights, but Lehman got his right pad there to make the stop.

23 seconds before Sheppard could return Ashley Tait was heading for the box for high sticks, but Sheffield were not to be scored on.

Back at full strength at last, Sheppard whipped in a ferocious shot but Fankhouser made the stop and dived on the loose puck.

Sheffield started the final period in familiar fashion, first Finnerty taking a hooking penalty, followed by Sarich for tripping 73 seconds later.

This time Phoenix made it count. Hand's shot from the top of the slot was turned aside but Starke netted high. Immediately Scott Basiuk and Jonathan Phillips clashed and both sat roughing penalties.

Munn forced a save and Fankhouser did well to block Warren Tait's shot from close-in, but really Manchester were the ones looking likely to score and Mangos pinged another shot off the framework with Lehman unsighted.

Ennaffati's tripping penalty brought a great stop from Randy Dagenais' crisp shot and Sheffield chased an insurance marker but to no avail.

Back came the visitors peppering Lehman's goal from distance, though once again Hand pulled a great stop from the right wing.

Finnerty got away but blasted over from the left and Phillips forced a save, but Legue's hooking penalty signalled a fraught penalty kill for the home side.

Basiuk pushed up and his wrist shot was gloved by the keeper. Tallari was blanked from the left wing but Sheffield survived abd instead Ashley Tait broke away up the right with Legue inside. Tait opted to shoot but Fankhouser stood tall.

With 40 seconds remaining Manchester lifted their keeper for the extra skater, but Sheffield cut out everything and Phillips hit the post from his own end in the final second of the game.