EIHL Challenge Cup finalists confirmed.

Sheffield Steelers having never won the Challenge Cup in the EIHL era the Challenge Cup hangs like a millstone round their neck and something they’re keen to put right, especially with Fox seeking a first trophy since joining the club. As for Clan, they have never reached any final since joining the league in 2010 and in this, their third Challenge Cup semi-final.

In the other game between Nottingham Panthers and Cardiff Devils, both sides have winning pedigree in this competition so know what it takes to go on and lift the trophy, especially Devils’ Blair Riley, who has won the tournament in the last two years with Belfast Giants.

Yesterday, the Sheffield Steelers progressed to the final along with Cardiff Devils.

Sheffield, perhaps unsurprisingly, got the better of a struggling Glasgow Clan who failed to overturn a four-goal deficit from the first leg. The Scottish side were made to pay when Lucas Sandström effectively ended the tie with two goals in just over two minutes at 27:35 and 29:51 to put the Steelers six up on aggregate. Marc-Olivier Vallerand made it three on the night for the Steelers to see Steelers win on aggregate by nine goals to one.

The other tie was much closer and although the Nottingham were the better side throughout and took a two-goal lead, not converting some gilt-edge chances came back to haunt the home side, who surrendered the lead just as they had done a week before in Cardiff. Haddad got his second of the game as a loose puck eventually deflected into the net off Mark Matheson with 9:53 to go, and then a little over two minutes later Joey Martin finished into an empty net as Kevin Carr was stranded. The Devils' comeback was complete when the visitors caught the Panthers on a line change and Matt Pope had an open cage to aim at after Carr stopped Sean Bentivoglio's shot. 

The final is to be played in the Viola arena in Cardiff on March 8^th at four pm.

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