Steeldogs were keen on making a good start in the return game in Hull, less than 24 hours after blowing a 4 – 1 lead in the home fixture.
Walker Sommer fired home with a powerplay marker at 6.27. The dogs looked to add to the scoring but found Zimozdra looking to continue his form from the game in sheffield..
A highly entertaining period where the dogs certainly helped keep the home fans quiet.
However, former player James Spurr brought the building to life with a goal with under 3 mins left to play, with another ex steeldog favourite Lee Haywood setting him up.
No further scoring as both teams headed for the locker rooms at the end of the 1st period.
Steeldogs quickly found their stride after the break and it was fully deserved when goals from Jonno, after a fantastic assist from Sommer, and then Sommer himself, with a bullet of a shot past a bewildered Dima, within 5 minutes of the restart gave them a 2 goal cushion.
Ivan Bjorkly Nordstrom picking up a helper on both goals.
The team were great value for their lead but were soon to hit penalty trouble.
7 consecutive penalties in the next 20 minute spell were to change the course of the game.
Sommer was the 1st to take a seat, with some fine defending to follow, and a quite unexpected short handed breakaway goal from IBN, remarkably extending the dogs advantage.
Some rather bizarre decisions, including 2 lengthy 5 on 3 spells gave Hull the impetus they needed and by the end of the 2nd, they had clawed 2 goals back, both on the PP.
The official set the tone early in the 3rd period by calling Crowe on 2 seperate Delay of Game penalties.
Now, we see the nets dislodged numerous times in every game, but I struggle to remember the last time the Steeldogs benefitted by one of these calls.Yet here we were, penalised twice in the space of 38 seconds!!!
A heroic effort by the team kept Hull off the scoresheet.
However, all the penalty killing clearly took its toll and shortly after, another ex fan favourite, Lee Bonner, brought the scores level with a shot from just inside the dogs zone, somehow finding its way past Crowe.
The home side, buoyed by this, and lifted by the majority of the 1500+ crowd searched for the winner.
Just as it looked like the game would be heading into the extra period, everyones favourite pantomime villain Jason Hewitt, scored the winner after a scramble around the dogs goal with 74 seconds left.
The euphoria of a goal with 0.4 seconds left in Leeds seemed a lifetime away.
Jonathan Kirk was awarded the Dogs M.O.M with Hewitt taking home the pamper set for the hosts.
2 fantastically different games of hockey against our closest rivals. 2 x 5-4 losses, both after having 3 goal leads clawed back.
Game changing decisions cost the Dogs this weekend. Some of our own doing..Some out of our control, but we need to learn from our mistakes and very quickly.
Lots of soul searching to be done before the crunch semi final 2nd leg v Leeds on NYE.
A bumper crowd and a great chance to impress fans who aren’t regular visitors.The lads need the backing of the crowd more than ever.
See you there