Returning to home ice for the first time this campaign, there was no tougher test for the Steeldogs than facing the reigning champions, Leeds Knights. The pace of the game started frantically from the first puck drop, and tensions quickly boiled over. Early in the opening period, Oli Endicott and CJ Garcia both picked up penalties for roughing after a heated exchange.
Leeds struck first when Kieran Brown opened the scoring at 7:52, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
The Steeldogs came out firing in the second period, clearly re-energized after the break. Picking up right where he left off last season, Walker Sommer tied the game at 1-1 with a well-taken goal. Barely a minute later, tempers flared again, Liam Steele headed to the box for roughing, while Leeds saw two players penalized for the same offense. Despite failing to capitalize on the power play, the Steeldogs kept pushing. Their persistence paid off when Bair Gendunov, assisted by Joonas Larinmaa and Davey Phillips, found the back of the net to give Sheffield a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
The final period began with everything still to play for, but the Steeldogs weren’t about to let the Knights back into the contest. In front of a raucous home crowd, Kyle Watson made his home debut unforgettable, blasting home a one-timer at 57:39 to extend the lead to 3-1. Just when it seemed the result was sealed, Gendunov struck again, this time assisted by Watson at 59:05 to make it 4-1 and put the game beyond doubt.
A fantastic team performance was capped by Joonas Larinmaa earning Man of the Match honours for his tireless playmaking and crucial assists.
We are back at home next weekend when we take on our biggest rivals Hull Seahawks. It is going to be a game you will not want to miss! Buy your tickets HERE. We hope to see you there on Saturday 20th!
