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| 31 Jan 2024, 19:30 | Play-off | SF | Sheffield Arena | |||||||
| Sheffield Steelers | 4-1 | Coventry Blaze | |||||
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| Referees: Pering/Good  |  Spectators: 5623 | |||||||
|   | |||||||
| 12:16 | | | home | | | | | 1-0 | | | Sam Jones (Niklas Nevalainen, Daniel Ciampini) | |
| 17:57 | | | home | | | | | 2-0 | | | Brien Diffley (Robert Dowd) | |
| 29:34 | | | home | | | | | 3-0 | | | Robert Dowd (Mikko Juusola) | |
| 34:39 | | | away | | | | | 3-1 | | | Danny Kristo (Ian McNulty, David Clements) | |
| 39:02 | | | home | | | | | 4-1 | | | Mitchell Balmas (Marc-Olivier Vallerand, Niklas Nevalainen) |
| Name | G | A | PIM | +/- | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scott Allen | | | | | | | | | 2 | |||
Mitchell Balmas | | | 1 | | | | | | | 2 | ||
Daniel Ciampini | | | | | 1 | | | | | 1 | ||
Samuel Cooper | | | | | | | | | ||||
Dominic Cormier | | | | | | | | | 2 | |||
Brien Diffley | | | 1 | | | | | | | |||
Robert Dowd | | | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | ||
Patrick Harper | | | | | | | | | ||||
Sam Jones | | | 1 | | | | | 2 | | | 1 | |
Mikko Juusola | | | | | 1 | | | | | |||
Niklas Nevalainen | | | | | 2 | | | | | 1 | ||
Josh Nicholls | | | | | | | | | ||||
Cole Shudra | | | | | | | | | ||||
Mark Simpson | | | | | | | | | 1 | |||
Kevin Tansey | | | | | | | | | 1 | |||
Finlay Ulrick | | | | | | | | | ||||
Marc-Olivier Vallerand | | | | | 1 | | | | | |||
Zach Vinnell | | | | | | | | | ||||
Patrick Watling | | | | | | | | |
| Name | G | A | PIM | +/- | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
David Clements | | | | | 1 | | | | | |||
John Curran | | | | | | | | | ||||
J.D. Dudek | | | | | | | | | ||||
Tyler Kirkup | | | | | | | | | ||||
Danny Kristo | | | 1 | | | | | | | |||
Alexander Kuqali | | | | | | | | | ||||
Alessio Luciani | | | | | | | 2 | | | |||
Ian McNulty | | | | | 1 | | | | | |||
Brady Norrish | | | | | | | 2 | | | |||
Nathan Ripley | | | | | | | | | ||||
Kobe Roth | | | | | | | | | ||||
Aidan Spellacy | | | | | | | | | ||||
Blake Thompson | | | | | | | | |
| Name | SA | GA | MIN | % | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matthew Greenfield | | | | | | | | | ||||
Anthony Morrone | | | 14 | | | 1 | | | 60:00 | | | 92.86 |
| Name | SA | GA | MIN | % | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nolan Kent | | | 32 | | | 4 | | | 60:00 | | | 87.50 |
Taran Kozun | | | | | | | | |
Aggregate score 10-1
Sheffield Steelers advanced to the 2024 Challenge Cup Final with a 10-1 aggregate win over Coventry Blaze, qualifying for the final of a competition they won in 2020 - their last trophy.
Coventry needed to score first to have any realistic chance of clawing back the deficit, but when no one picked up Sam Jones ghosting in at the far post to opening the scoring their test was made even harder just under 13 minutes in.
The Blaze began having chances of their own, the best coming wit a breakaway shortly after they went behind - but an excellently-timed Daniel Ciampini stick-lift thwarted the danger. Coventry failed to take advantage of some three odd-man rushes before they were eventually punished again. Robert Dowd skated into the zone and took the attention of the defensemen, allowing him to feed an on-rushing Brian Diffley to beat Kent five-hole as he missed the poke check.
Mack Stewart was denied a first goal for the Blaze when he was found in front by Nathan Ripley but Anthony Morrone was in his way. Robert Dowd took a bad pass in the zone but with some nifty footwork got himself a shot off that surprised Kent and put the Steelers 4-1 up at 29:34. The Blaze did eventually get the goal they deserved off an excellent 'bottle-popper' from Danny Kristo that Morrone may have wanted back. The Steelers added a fifth from Mitchell Balmas short side on a play where Patrick Watling took a shot square in the midriff prior to Balmas' finish two passes later.
Period three was played at less of a pace than the previous two. A small highlight on an otherwise difficult night for the Blaze was a 100% penalty kill with two Steelers powerplays seen off without conceding.
It was, however, the Steelers' night as the booked their place into a final that they have the honour of hosting.
Evgeny Sapelnikov
(F)
Lokomotiv Orsha
HK Gomel
Vladimir Volkov
(F)
Barys Astana
Saryarka Karaganda
Daniil Bukar
(F)
HK Aktobe
Ertis Pavlodar
Maxime Trépanier
(F)
Ferencvárosi TC-Telekom
Yaroslav Arefyev
(F)
HK Chelny
HK Brest
Timur Taratunin
(D)
HK Chelny
Buran Voronezh
Dmitri Kandakov
(F)
Rubin Tyumen
Olympia Kirovo-Chepetsk
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