The Sheffield Steelers are gearing up for tomorrow’s semi-final playoffs following an impressive 3-5 win last night against the Manchester Storm.
Having completed the round-robin stage of the 2021 Elite Series, the two teams will face off again tomorrow night.
Thanks to an early goal from Kevin Schulze, timed at only 33 seconds, and two further polished strikes from Jonathan Phillips and Sam Jones, the Steelers victory was cemented after some determined fightback from the Storm.
With Steelers key-player John Muse unable to play, still suffering from ongoing injuries, the pressure was on for the Sheffield team, but Ben Churchfield did a fantastic job holding the defence line following promising goals from the Storm’s Dallas Ehrhardt.
For the Storm, it was a disappointing result, and one they had hoped to reverse to avoid playing Sheffield, a team going from strength-to-strength, in the playoffs on Tuesday night.
The Sheffield Steelers were delighted with the team’s victory, sharing their delight with remote fans across social media:
🍊📸
The face of a team finishing top of the table
📸 @woolster80 pic.twitter.com/53FtHgijnX
— Sheffield Steelers | #2021EliteSeries (@steelershockey) April 25, 2021
🍊We told you earlier that there would be a lot more of this – we were right.
See you on Tuesday – #BleedOrange pic.twitter.com/L78Qjv2h4b
— Sheffield Steelers | #2021EliteSeries (@steelershockey) April 25, 2021
“We’ve got to have some momentum going into the playoffs and buckle down here for the last two. Hopefully we can come away with the points and have some momentum going into the playoffs, said Steelers player Joshua Waller, in advance of Sunday’s game.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time here – it’s a great set up they have got and also the way they play. I have enjoyed my time here and we will see what the future holds.
The 2021 Elite Series is the UK’s professional ice hockey league and the leading of ice hockey competition in the country.
The playoff between the Sheffield Steelers and Manchester Storm will take place on 27 April at 8.30pm.
We. Are. In. https://t.co/55qVLn3cJt pic.twitter.com/EzaTrRmwFW
— Sheffield Steelers | #2021EliteSeries (@steelershockey) April 25, 2021
