The Bradfield Brewery Sheffield Steeldogs had the aim to take home a win against Bristol Pitbulls after coming up short in Milton Keynes yet luck was not in their favour after again missing out on points, the lineup was almost unchanged since their unfortunate loss against MK Lightning however the Dogs were without Finlay Ulrick (played for the Steelers in Coventry) and Ivan Bjorkly Nordstrom who is still injured for the Steeldogs.
The last time these two teams played Bristol won 5-4 and this time they lose again 5-3 after a spectacular game which saw the Dogs go ahead for quite some time until the third period where Bristol began to dominate scoring another 2 goals on the Steeldogs.
Period 1
Period 1 saw the Steeldogs come out onto the ice with aggression and putting pressure straight onto Bristol, Jonathon Phillips had the first chance to go one on one with Tyler De La Bertouche however nothing unfortunately came from it. The Pitbulls then answered back fast with both Reece Cochrane and Mason Lipsey having a go at Warbuton (who replaces Ben Norton tonight) yet this was dealt with quite easily without much of an issue. Bristol then suffered a loss of 2 men to penalties both Tanner Butler and Sean Morris were put into the box for roughing and hooking which led to the Dogs’ first goal scored by Elmeri Hallfors!
Period 2
Bristol Pitbulls came out with 2 early attempts from Bari McKenzie and a breakaway attempt by Nick Pryce however Warbuton saves both with the defensive line clearing the puck away. The Dogs answer back to this initial pressure with a goal scored by Morgan Clarke-Pizzo assisted by captain Jonathon Kirk, immediately after Bristol try again with Pryce but Warbuton denies Bristol again. The possession was very much Steeldogs however a loose pass by the Dogs led to an interception by Nick Pryce who plays a great pass to Bayley Harewood who scores for Bristol putting the score at 2-1. The Dogs were quick to gain possession again and in just over a minute the score became 3-1 by the likes of Sam Tremblay who scored a gorgeous Michigan! The Steeldogs were all over the Pitbulls however 5 minutes later Mason Lipsey puts another in for Bristol which put them closer to levelling the game with just 1 goal in it. The Dogs go into the third period with an advantage as Jacob White-Sey was caught hooking right before the buzzer sounded.
Period 3
The Steeldogs could not make any use of the powerplay with only a few shots, Ewan Hill unfortunately makes quick work to put an equaliser in for Bristol tying up the game. Walker Sommer had a great attempt on goal and forced Bristol’s netminder to cover the puck but soon after this attempt a play by Bristol left a puck trickling behind Warbuton as Bayley Harewood put his team ahead on a powerplay goal due to Brady Doxy for the Dogs being put in the box for hooking. A double penalty for Bristol then came with Ben Davies and Bobby Ragan being put in the penalty box for too many men on the ice and abuse of an official, this gave the Dogs a huge opportunity to score however nothing came of the powerplay. The end of the period saw Sheffield in a desperate attempt to equalise take their netminder off, yet this led to an empty net goal for Bristol by Nick Pryce to see out the game. Final Score 5-3.
MOTM
Bristol- Tyler De La Bertouche (netminder)
Sheffield- Elmeri Hallfors (Opening Goal for the Steeldogs)