18:04	|	away	|		|	0-1	|	Mathieu Gosselin (Cole Ully, Jake Gravelle)
25:33	|	home	|		|	1-1	|	Mitchell Balmas (Stephen Harper, Brien Diffley)
44:33	|	home	|		|	2-1	|	Dominic Cormier (Robert Dowd, Samuel Tremblay)
48:38	|	home	|		|	3-1	|	Evan Jasper (Robert Dowd, Samuel Tremblay)
49:03	|	away	|		|	3-2	|	Mathieu Gosselin (Ethan Strang)
49:50	|	away	|		|	3-3	|	Charles Curti (Matthew Alvaro, Jack Jacome)
64:36	|	home	|	PPG	|	4-3	|	Mitchell Balmas (Dominic Cormier, Robert Dowd)

Name		G		A		PIM		+/-
Mitchell Balmas	|	2	|		|		|
Ivan Björkly-Nordström	|		|		|		|
Dominic Cormier	|	1	|	1	|		|
Brien Diffley	|		|	1	|		|
Jack Dougherty	|		|		|		|
Robert Dowd	|	0	|	3	|		|
Derek Gentile	|		|		|		|
Stephen Harper	|		|	1	|		|
Mitchell Heard	|		|		|		|
Joona Huttula	|		|		|		|
Evan Jasper	|	1	|		|		|
Reece Kelly	|		|		|		|
Clifford Pu	|		|		|	2	|
Cole Shudra	|		|		|	2	|
Jordon Southorn	|		|		|		|
Ryan Tait	|		|		|		|
Kevin Tansey	|		|		|		|
Samuel Tremblay	|		|	2	|		|

Name		G		A		PIM		+/-
Matthew Alvaro	|		|	1	|		|
Travis Brown	|		|		|	2	|
Tyler Busch	|		|		|		|
Sean Comrie	|		|		|	4	|
Jake Coughler	|		|		|	20	|
Charles Curti	|	1	|		|	10	|
Mathieu Gosselin	|	2	|		|		|
Jake Gravelle	|		|	1	|		|
Jack Jacome	|		|	1	|		|
Elliot Lewis	|		|		|		|
Zack Milton	|		|		|		|
Josh Nixon	|		|		|		|
Ben Solder	|		|		|		|
Ethan Strang	|		|	1	|		|
Samuel Talbot	|		|		|		|
Marcus Tesink	|		|		|		|
Cole Ully	|		|	1	|		|
Joshua Waller	|		|		|		|

 

Name		SA		GA		MIN		%
Matthew Greenfield	|	21	|	3	|	64:36	|	85.71
Curtis Warburton	|		|		|		|

Name		SA		GA		MIN		%
Taz Burman	|	45	|	4	|	64:36	|	91.11
Adam Long	|		|		|		|

 

A thrilling Wednesday night clash at the Utilita Arena saw the Sheffield Steelers edge past the Guildford Flames 4-3 in overtime, with both teams battling hard in a physical, end-to-end encounter.

The opening 18 minutes were fast and furious, with big hits coming from both sides before Guildford struck against the run of play. With just under two minutes left in the first period, Mathieu Gosselin showed great composure to deke out Matthew Greenfield and finish neatly to give the Flames the lead.

“I think we did really well at times, and struggled at others,” said Gosselin. “It could be worse, we got a point out of it, but I think we can play better than that. We believe we can compete with a team like Sheffield and I think we proved that tonight.”

The Steelers hit back five minutes into the second period through Mitchell Balmas, who finished from the slot after a slick passing play with Stephen Harper. It was Balmas’ first goal since 19 October, and it levelled things up in a tight and physical middle frame that saw few clear chances.

Four and a half minutes into the third, the Steelers went ahead for the first time. Robert Dowd, playing in his 900th game, set up Dominic Cormier, whose burst of speed sent him into the zone before he beat Taz Burman high for 2-1. Sheffield were flying at this stage, with Jordon Southorn striking the crossbar as the hosts pressed for more.

A third Steelers goal came soon after when Evan Jasper cut in from the boards and fired past Burman with just over 11 minutes remaining. However, Guildford responded almost immediately: Ethan Strang’s shot deflected off Gosselin’s stick and into the net just 25 seconds later for his second of the night.

“The second goal I got was a nice play by Strang,” added Gosselin. “We were down two goals at that point and needed to get pucks to the net to try and get something going.”

Just 47 seconds later, the Flames were level. Charlie Curti jumped into the rush and ripped a shot past Greenfield’s glove to make it 3-3, completing a remarkable turnaround. Guildford then killed off a four-minute penalty late in the third to force overtime.

In the extra frame, Cliff Pu took a tripping call with 3:38 to play, giving Guildford a chance they couldn’t convert. As the penalty expired, Pu drove the net and drew a call the other way on which the hosts set up Balmas, who fired home a one-timer with 24 seconds left to win it for the Steelers.

“Ecstatic with that performance,” said Steelers Captain Dowd post-game. “I thought we were brilliant all night. We played a good, hard, physical game and some really good hockey. Obviously we shut off for two minutes there for them to get two goals, but for 58 minutes I thought we were very, very good, probably one of our best performances of the season.”

Reflecting on his 900th appearance, Dowd added: “It’s a nice achievement. I’ve been very blessed to have a good career and to play the game I love for so long. It was special to come away with a win.”