It was a difficult night on the road for the Sheffield Steeldogs as they were beaten by the Milton Keynes Lightning in a game where they struggled to build consistency despite brief flashes of quality.
Milton Keynes were to strike first, with Harry Gulliver opening the scoring at 4:11. The Lightning doubled their lead midway through the period through Elliot Lewis, but the Steeldogs responded well on the power play. Walker Sommer pulled one back at 13:30, before Bair Gendunov levelled the game with another man-advantage goal at 17:14.
The second period proved decisive. Sheffield were unable to gain control, and Milton Keynes capitalised with a power-play goal from Dominik Gabaj at 23:57, before extending their lead further through Jordan Cownie and Jordan Spadafore.
Despite a chance to reduce the deficit in the third, the Steeldogs were unable to generate sustained pressure, and Milton Keynes sealed the result late when Harry Gulliver added his second of the night at 57:39.
Sheffield will look to respond quickly after a performance that fell short of their usual standards.
Thank you for your support on the road tonight, it never goes unnoticed.