Sheffield Steelers 4-2 Coventry Blaze

Steve Carpenter dressed but didn't touch the ice. Steelers missing Marc Lefebvre.

3852 saw Sheffield consolidate their lead at the top of the table as Blaze pushed Sheffield all the way.

Sheffield took the game to their visitors early on but shots were few. Goalie Jody Lehman went behind his net and rimmed the puck round the boards but Joel Irving intercepted and fired into the unguarded net (03:15). The ever-dangerous Poirier tested Bronsard with Dion Darling sitting a penalty. In the eighth minute Graham Schlender fired in from the left and the Blaze team celebrated but Boniface was perfectly positioned astride the goal line and waved play on, the puck having bounced back off the bar.

Youngster Russ Cowley took an elbows penalty with Coventry on the attack. On the restart Sheffield swept down the other end and Kevin Bolibruck powered home on the powerplay (11:11).

Lehman had two saves to make on Blaze's next penalty kill, but Sheffield ended the period killing Mike Peron's slashing penalty and Joel Poirier squeezed the puck home from a fine angle low on the right (19:58).

Ron Shudra took an early penalty after a scramble in front of the Sheffield net. Steve O'Brien tested Bronsard then Tom Watkins took a roughing penalty and Lehman made a double stop from Bolibruck and Shudra. Bronsard did well to blank a screened shot from Steve Gallace before Sheffield squandered a 3-on-1 break. Bronsard again pulled the big save when Joel Poirier elected to shoot not pass.

The game was finely balanced throughout the third period. Ben Bliss tried a wraparound at the right post and the puck fell for Mark Dutiuame, but Lehman made the save. Just over 2 minutes later Mike Tasker's speculative shot from the right hit a crowd of players and bounced home (43:53). But the home side were quickly in front when Peron at the near post deflected hoem Ron Shudra's shot from the right point (44:33).

Another 2 minutes and Joel Poirier stick-handled down the right but Bronsard was not to be beaten. With Blaze on a powerplay twice Steve Gallace fired in but each time Coventry were unable to get to the rebound. Dion Darling went to the box after denying a shooting chance but Steelers survived.

When Shaun Johnson took a late penalty Shudra fired in from the face-off and Peron was on the doorstep to put away the pieces (56:59) and kill the game.