Giants Fall Short in Elite League Playoff Final

FIRST PERIOD

While the opening few minutes didn’t create much in the way of distinct scoring opportunities for either side, it was the Giants that had the first attempt on goal, as Daniel Tedesco’s early effort on target tested the reflexes of Matt Greenfield in the Sheffield net.

Soon after, it was the Steelers’ turn to go on offence as Daniel Cormier descended on the Giants’ net, only to be denied by a big pad save from Jackson Whistle.

After Daniel Ciampini was penalised for slashing, the Giants created a number of chances to open the scoring, with efforts from David Goodwin, Mark Cooper, and Daniel Tedesco requiring Matt Greenfield to keep the game all square.

Having only been back to full strength for a matter of minutes, the Steelers then found themselves down a man once again as Kevin Tansey was served a two-minute penalty for hooking. The Giants capitalised on the additional skater, sending several shots towards Greenfield’s net, however, the Steelers’ netminder stood firm.

It was then the Giants that found themselves with one less player on the ice as Greg Printz was handed five-minutes for boarding. The Steelers wasted no time in putting their advantage to good use as Daniel Ciampini pounced to give Sheffield the lead. (1-0)

In the blink of an eye, it got even better for the Steelers as they bagged their second powerplay goal less than 30 seconds later when Mikki Juusola’s unassisted effort doubled Sheffield’s lead. (2-0)

SECOND PERIOD

The Steelers continued to build on their first period momentum, controlling the puck for much of the opening exchanges. It wasn’t long before Jackson Whistle was called upon to add to his save count, denying a fine attempt from Brandon Whistle.

Despite play being back-and-forth, it was the Steelers that continued to create the better opportunities. Daniel Ciampini almost netted his second of the game, but a brave block from Travis Brown prevented the Sheffield from increasing the deficit.

After the Steelers turned the puck over, Ciampini found himself through on goal yet again, but couldn’t finish. Scott Allen then had his attempt on goal batted away with a big glove save from Jackson Whistle, keeping the Steelers’ relentless attack at bay.

At the other end of the ice, the Steelers remained watertight, shutting down any and all forms of Giants’ offence. That was until Scott Allen was called for roughing. With a mere seven seconds left in the period, Blake Speers blasted home his second goal of the weekend on the powerplay. (2-1)

THIRD PERIOD

Both teams came out of the block fast in the final period, with Kevin Tansey and Mikki Juusola going closest for the Steelers, meanwhile for the Giants, Blake Speers saw his effort sail just over the crossbar.

After Cole Shudra was sent to the penalty box for tripping, Will Cullen went agonisingly close to snuffing out the Steelers’ lead, but the ever-present Matt Greenfield stood firm.

The Giants then found themselves on the back foot as Ben Lake was called for a cross check, and if not for a significant block from David Phillips, the Giants could have gone further behind with less than 10 minutes remaining.

With fewer than 60 seconds on the clock, the Steelers made sure of the victory, as Kevin Tansey’s empty-netter wrapped up with win for Sheffield. (3-1)