2 More Points for the Steeldogs – a 4 Point Weekend
The Sheffield Steeldogs produced an assured home performance at Ice Sheffield on Saturday night, defeating the Bristol Pitbulls 5-1 after laying the foundations with a dominant opening period.
Three goals inside the opening 18 minutes put the Steeldogs firmly in control before a scoreless middle period, with Sheffield then adding two more in the third to complete an impressive victory.
First Period: Steeldogs Race Into Control
The Steeldogs started brightly and immediately put Bristol under pressure, with the visitors finding themselves in penalty trouble early in the contest.
A bench minor for too many men at 5:31 handed Sheffield their first power-play opportunity before Tanner Butler was called for tripping less than a minute later.
Sheffield needed just eight seconds to make the extra-man advantage count.
At 6:28, Dante Salituro opened the scoring with a power-play strike, Walker Sommer providing the assist as the Steeldogs took a deserved early lead.
The home side continued to press and doubled their advantage at 17:04.
This time Sommer turned goalscorer, finishing a move created by Salituro and CJ Garcia to make it 2-0.
And Sheffield weren’t finished there.
Just 47 seconds later, Michael Pelech added a third, converting at 17:51 from Nathan Ripley and Nathan Salem.
Three goals in the opening period sent the Steeldogs into the first intermission with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Second Period: Steeldogs Stand Firm
The middle period proved a much tighter affair, with chances at both ends but neither side able to add to the scoring.
Sheffield were forced to kill off a couple of penalties, with Ben Morgan called for hooking at 24:49 before Michael Pelech was assessed two minutes for holding at 35:58.
Bristol looked to make their opportunities count, but the Steeldogs remained composed defensively while continuing to create chances of their own.
Neither side could find a way through, meaning Sheffield carried their 3-0 lead into the final period.
Third Period: Sheffield Finish the Job
The Steeldogs returned for the third determined to put the game beyond Bristol, and they added a fourth at 46:16.
Jonathan Phillips found the net, with Salituro and Sommer both collecting assists.
Bristol responded by pulling their goaltender at 47:38 in an attempt to create an extra attacking threat.
The gamble backfired just 48 seconds later.
Salituro raced onto the opportunity and fired into the empty net at 48:26 for his second goal of the night, with Phillips credited with the assist.
That made it 5-0 and capped an excellent individual performance from Salituro, who finished the night with two goals and two assists.
Bristol did manage to get themselves on the scoreboard shortly afterwards.
Dylan Stewart converted on the power play at 48:52, assisted by John Dunbar and Jake Bricknell, to make it 5-1.
The Steeldogs were then required to kill off a further penalty to Bailey Yates for slashing, but Sheffield remained firmly in control through the closing stages.
The final buzzer confirmed a comprehensive 5-1 victory for the Steeldogs.
Three goals in the opening period had put Sheffield in command, and after a controlled second period they finished the job in style during the third.
Final Score
Sheffield Steeldogs 5-1 Bristol Pitbulls
Steeldogs scorers:
Dante Salituro (2)
Walker Sommer
Michael Pelech
Jonathan Phillips
Another strong home performance and two more important points for the Steeldogs.