Sheffield Steelers 3-1 Coventry Blaze

Coventry missing Jonathan Weaver.

Not an inch given in this one, both teams working hard to deny the opposition space and shots and unsurprisingly it came down to the special teams with no even-handed goals. Sheffield's penalty-killing was outstanding.

Curtis Huppe netted a rebound from the backboards 5-on-3 for the only goal of the first (14:29). Randy Dagenais rammed home a powerplay equalizer on the doorstep at the halfway mark (30:05). Sheffield killed 36 seconds of 5-on-3 and 2 spells of 4-on-3, before with just 1.52 remaining Trevor Koenig displaced his goal.

Referee Michael Hicks initially assessed a two minute minor and Blaze called a time-out, but then Hicks realized the offence took place in the final 2 minutes of the game, and instead awarded a penalty shot. Jeff Legue skated up and went right, wrapping the puck behind a prostrate Koenig (58:08).

Blaze lifted Koenig for the extra skater soon afterwards. But Danny Stewart was called for boarding and took a misconduct for his pains. Despite Sheffield going on the powerplay, after the face-off Coventry lifted Koenig again and Dan Tessier found the empty net from just over the half-way line (59:11).

Adam Calder took a misconduct before the game restarted and Dan Carlson did likewise after the final hooter.

The visitors took an early hold on the game with Sheffield struggling to make any headway. But with the home side blocking shots, neither goalie was tested until Ryan Finnerty tried a wrap-around at Trevor Koenig's right post in the 7th minute. Shortly afterwards Dan Tessier's shot on the backhand was turned aside by the keeper. By that stage Steelers had killed a hooking penalty against Doug Sheppard.

Another hooking penalty, this time on Warren Tait, saw two big saves by Lehman. Adam Calder's shot from right of centre through a crowd of players, was turned aside and Barrie Moore was blanked from the right wing. Tait returned to force Koenig into action and Danny Stewart went through right of centre but could find no way past Lehman.

Rod Sarich popped up on the doorstep to reach a pass but was blanked and 11 seconds later took a slashing penalty. Another 21 seconds and Jonathan Phillips was sitting a tripping penalty and Blaze scored with their first shot on goal on the 5 on 3. Neal Martin shot wide from distance and Curtis Huppe squeezed the puck between Lehman and his near post from low on the left.

Sheffield saw off the remainder of Phillip's penalty and with just over 2 minutes remaining in the period, Adam Calder took a tripping penalty. Koenig turned aside shots from Talbot and Legue. With 39 seconds remaining on the penalty, Talbot's shot from the top of the slot fell for Legue but KC Timmons took his legs away before he could play the puck and Timmons headed straight for the box for tripping.

Just 15 seconds later Doug Sheppard was blanked on the doorstep and put the puck past Koenig just after the whistle, which triggered a fierce skirmish. When the ice chips had settled, Sheppard took a slashing penalty with Matt Soderstrom sitting a roughing penalty and Koenig assessed a 10 minute misconduct penalty, sat by James Archer.

Before the buzzer Ashley Tait was blanked twice from low on the left and Tessier and Dagenais also forced saves.

KC Timmons slashing penalty early in the second brought one save from Dagenias, but Sheffield were struggling to create pressure until Jason Hewitt stepped up to wrist a shot, but Koenig froze the puck in his pads.

The next Sheffield powerplay brought rewards, however, with Danny Stewart sitting a hooking penalty. Koenig gloved a Tessier shot and Phillips' effort from 8 feet was turned over the top. But a drilled pass from the right corner was forced home by Dagenais.

Another shot just after the whistle triggered another scuffle, Sheffield gaining a powerplay with Soderstrom, Calder, Hewitt and Talbot in the box. But Ashley Tait's high sticks penalty and Phillips' holding minor gave Blaze 51 seconds of 4-on-3, with a further 39 seconds of 5-on-3 to follow. Huppe and Martin blazed wide and Carslon's screened shot from the top of the slot was well-saved by Lehman to his right.

Into the final session and you just knew that the next goal would clinch it. Tom Watkins got away down the right but Lehman gloved the shot with Moore waiting for any rebound. Calder hit a great shot from 10 feet but Lehman stopped it and the defence cleared their end. Dagenais and Sarich had shots saved from distance, but a 3-on-2 break up the left produced another top-drawer save from Calder's right wing shot.

Legue and Talbot kept Koenig alert at the other end and Koenig pulled saves from Tessier and Manzano at successive face-offs. The latter produced another scuffle and Huppe and Tessier found themselves sitting roughing penalties.

Saves from Legue, Dagenais and Sarich followed before Sheppard was assessed a slashing penalty for 63 seconds of 4-on-3.

Blaze pressed hard, Calder blasting in from the right but Lehman froze the puck once again after making the save. Another Calder shot from right of centre, this time screened, was padded to Huppe low on the right but Munn blocked the shot and it looped high to the far post. In an almighty scramble at the net a Blaze forward was lying on top of the goalie as Calder was blanked before the game was whistled to a halt.

Back at even strength Stewart's deflected shot was saved and Steelers cleared their lines once again.

James Pease' took a hooking penalty with less than 3 minutes remaining and Sheppard fired in from the left, but Stewart broke away up the left only to be crowded out by some determined defending. Then Dagenais' huge shot from the right produced a big rebound but no team-mate could get on the end of it.

Then Koenig displaced the net and, after a delay, Legue stepped up taking the puck in close and deking left before going right and wrapping the puck behind Koenig.

Only Stewart tested Lehman in the remaining, heated, minutes of the game and Tessier's empty net sealed the win.

The sides meet again back at Sheffield Arena on 5 March.