The Puck Stop Sheffield Steeldogs are officially National Cup Champions after beating the Leeds Knights in overtime with just 11 seconds left to play.
The Sheffield Steeldogs fell behind early at IceSheffield when Owen Sobchak opened the scoring for Leeds at 3:33, assisted by Liam Peyton.
The Steeldogs responded well and continued to push for an equaliser. After Bailey Perre was penalised for delay of game at 8:09, Sheffield kept the pressure on and were rewarded at 11:27 when Kyle Watson found the net, assisted by Ivan Björkly-Nordström, to level the game.
Nathan Ripley was later called for holding at 14:07, giving Leeds a power play opportunity. The Knights capitalised at 16:08 as Finley Bradon restored their lead, assisted by Sobchak.
The second period proved to be a tight and physical battle, with both sides struggling to break the deadlock.
Ivan Björkly-Nordström was called for interference at 25:15, giving Leeds an early power play opportunity, but the Steeldogs’ penalty kill stood firm to keep the deficit at one.
Ben Morgan was then penalised for tripping at 33:05, before Leeds’ Finley Bradon was called for hooking at 33:29, creating a brief spell of four on four hockey.
Late in the period, Bair Gendunov was penalised for cross checking at 39:33, setting up another Leeds power play heading into the final seconds.
Despite the penalties and physical play, neither side was able to find the net during the middle frame, leaving the Steeldogs trailing by one goal heading into the third period.
The Steeldogs came out strong in the third period and drew level at 51:14 when Walker Sommer found the net, assisted by Bair Gendunov and Jonathan Philips.
A bench minor for too many men at 52:49 gave Leeds a power play opportunity, and Owen Sobchak restored the Knights’ lead at 54:30 with assists from Oli Endicott and Bowdyn Neely.
Sheffield continued to battle and pulled another goal back at 56:24 when Cole Shudra found the net to keep the Steeldogs within touching distance.
The closing minutes were frantic, with both teams using their timeouts in search of crucial goals. Leeds scored twice late on through Sam Dunn at 57:54 and Liam Peyton at 59:56.
Those late goals levelled the overall tie at 6-6 on aggregate, sending the cup final into overtime to decide which team would advance.
With the aggregate score locked at 6-6 at the end of regulation, the National Cup Final needed overtime to decide the winner.
The Steeldogs continued to push in the extra period and at 64:49 Bair Gendunov delivered the defining moment of the night, finding the net to secure the victory for Sheffield.
The overtime winner crowned the Sheffield Steeldogs National Cup Champions, sparking huge celebrations at IceSheffield after a dramatic and unforgettable cup final.
