The Flyers were looking to avoid another defeat which would be their longest winless run of the season and it would also bring to and end a losing run in Sheffield that stretched back to 2018. The Steelers named an unchanged line up to the one that shutout the Coventry Blaze at home the previous night with Robert Dowd, Joel Janatuinen, Marc-Olivier Vallerand and Brandon Whistle all missing. The Flyers added Ben Brown to their roster from the previous evening and their scratches were Aiden Wilson out with a broken foot, Jānis Voris under the weather, Brodie Kay finishing up with the GB20’s, James Spence and Cameron Kenny.

15 seconds into the game and the Flyers were shorthanded as Phélix Martineau was called for a high stick following a face off. Shane Owen made a great save to start the penalty kill as he went post to post on a Steeler at the back post, the numbers on the Steelers jerseys all but unreadable. The Steelers did make their manpower advantage count however when Dominic Cormier found Patrick Watling with a cross slot pass and he fired high into the net from the face off dot. In the 4^th minute Lucas Chiodo stole the puck in the Steelers zone but he couldn’t get his shot away as he went in on net. Moments later the Steelers were back on the power play as Ryan Foss caught Kevin Tansey with a high stick. Watling from the face off had a shot hit the side netting and despite a number of good looks the Steelers couldn’t add to their lead as the Flyers complete the kill. In the 7^th minute the Steelers were again guilty of giving the puck away in their zone and Foss tried to find Austin Farley who was parked on the edge of the crease but the puck was blocked and the danger cleared. A one timer from Daniel Ciampini in the 9th minute was held by Owen. Matt Greenfield was forced to make his first serious save in the 10^th minute as he just got a piece of the puck to deny Michael Cichy from close range. Charles-Antoine Paiement  weaved his way to the net in the Flyers next attack but was crowded out and the Steelers went the other way and doubled their lead when Maxim Golod let a shot go from the high slot that somehow snuck through the arm of Owen. In the 14^th minute Watling had another glorious chance but he sailed his shot over the bar. The puck was recycled however and this time Watling played a pass across crease to the stick of Mikko Juusola who was parked on the edge of Owen’s crease and he had a simple tap in. Less than  a minute later and the home side had their 4^th as the Steelers outworked the Flyers in their own zone and after Owen made a poke check on Golod the puck broke to Daniel Leavens who scrambled it home. In the 17^th minute Patrick Kyte carried the puck into the Steelers zone and from the left wing he tested Greenfield. A minute later and a Paiement shot was fumbled by Greenfield who was lucky to see it scrambled away. With 90 seconds of the period remaining the Steelers went nap as they moved the puck up ice and the tic tac toe passing was finished with a drop pass to Veeti Vainio who picked the bottom corner on Owen’s stick side. Kyte was then called for an elbow on Cole Shudra before Colton Saucerman came in and negated any power play as he was called for roughing and the teams skated 5 on 5 to end the period.

In the opening minute of the 2^nd period Martineau wired the puck wide of goal from the slot before Juusola missed the target as the Steelers went the other way. In the 23^rd minute Massimo Carozza found Cichy in front of the Steelers net and he whipped the puck wide with just Greenfield to beat. Owen stood strong to deny Brien Diffley in the 25th minute. A minute later and Chiodo was denied by a Greenfield toe save. The Flyers created yet another good chance in the 29^th minute when Martineau fed Austin Farley who was out front of Greenfield and he had two attempts to stuff the puck home but eventually fired wide of the net. On 30 minutes Tansey had a chance before the Flyers caught a break as a shot by Ciampini hit both posts before bouncing clear. The Steelers were ramping up the pressure now and there were chances for Golod and Ciampini but Owen was solid in net. The visiting keeper saved another from a blueline shot and he then denied Leavens in the 36^th minute as he was able to hold on to the puck from a shot from the slot. The Steelers did get another on the board in the 37^th minute when Dominic Cormier let fly from the high slot and it went through a mass humanity in front of Owen who had zero chance of tracking the puck. In the 38^th minute Kyte broke up a 3 on 1 Steelers rush and the Flyers transitioned with Cichy just out of reach of a puck that flashed across Greenfield’s net. The Steelers goalie made a fine double save to deny Paiement in the final minute before Tyler Heidt was given the gate for a trip with the Flyers ending the period on the penalty kill.

The Flyers had 90 seconds of the Steelers power play to kill to start the 3^rd period. Tansey flubbed on a one time shot before Owen made a close in save. Mitchell Balmas rang a shot off the crossbar as the Flyers were able to return to full strength unscathed. The Steelers however immediately had a number of chances and Watling himself had three near misses with Owen also doing sterling work in the Flyers net. In the 43^rd minute the Fife keeper was stung by a rasping shot by Ivan Bjorkly Nordstrom that caught him flush in the mask. After some helmet readjustments he then swallowed a shot a minute later from Tansey. Balmas was denied by a shoulder save by Owen in the 48^th minute and moments later Watling was once again wasteful when he had a couple of sights of goal. It was all one way traffic at this point and in the 50^th minute Owen flashed the leather to snag a Sacha Guimond shot. A minute later however the Fife keeper was helpless as Cormier got another when he sniped the pick just inside the post from the slot. The Steelers almost added another in the 52^nd minute on an odd man rush but Balmas was once again out of luck as his shot hit metalwork. Heidt returned to the box for hooking and from the face off the Flyers survived a goal line stand as Owen and Krenželok lying across the crease kept out Leavens and Mark Simpson before the visitors were able to complete the kill. Greenfield made a routine save in the 56^th minute which was his first shot of the period. In the 57^th minute Juusola drove the net and as Owen made the initial save the puck spun free and Balmas was on hand to clean up the garbage and bring up the Steelers eighth goal. Greenfield had a fine shoulder save to deny Jordan Stallard and moments later he did well to stop a close in tip by Krenželok. With 70 seconds to go the Flyers went on their first power play of the game when Guimond was guilty of a slash. Simpson had a short handed bid blocked by Owen and Greenfield preserved his second shutout of the weekend when he made a couple of saves to deny the Flyers a consolation goal.

Pic Credits – Dean Wooley

Fife Flyers are next at home on  Sunday 19th January when they entertain the Nottingham Panthers – tickets can be bought online here:  Tickets – Fife Flyers or look out on social media channels for box office opening times.