Elite IHL - Sheffield Steelers @ Edinburgh Capitals 3-4 SO - Sunday, January 03, 2015

It's sometimes fun being a neutral. With the Whitley Warriors having the weekend off, and me in desperate need for a hockey fix, the decision was made to head over the border to Scotland to take in the Edinburgh Capitals versus the Sheffield Steelers. It was one of the few remaining rinks I hadn't previously been to in the UK and meant I could watch two quality teams slug it out in an end-to-end encounter.
The Edinburgh Capitals secured a crucial win in their first home game of 2016 thanks to a dramatic 4-3 penalty shoot out success over the Sheffield Steelers.
The Caps were without influential defenceman Jacob Johnston and had to weather a Steelers storm in the opening exchanges but despite that onslaught, the visitors were denied any early advantage with Carsen Chubak outstanding in goal.
With the Steelers looking well in control, the opening goal of the game came somewhat against the run of play. Forward David Rutherford grabbed the first goal of the year at Murrayfield at 13:37 when his effort, on the power play, hit the net via a deflection off a Steelers player that wrong footed goalie Marek Pinc.
The first period got even better for the home side around three minutes later, when Ned Lukacevic unleashed a slap shot from the right wing that arrowed into the top corner of Marek Pinc’s net to double the lead. The goal once again arriving on the power play.
The Steelers did manage to get themselves back into the game with just 16 seconds remaining in the first, when defenceman Jace Coyle fired through traffic.
The Caps started the second period brightly and continued to test the unconvincing Pinc in the Steelers net, but it was Paul Thompson’s men who grabbed the next goal. Guilliume Desbiens netted the only goal of the second period to level the score at 2-2.
Sheffield went on to take control in the third period when former Caps player Ben O’Connor’s shot found its way past Chubak following a great move to give the Steelers their first lead of the game at 48:12.
It was around then that Referee Neil Wilson lost the plot. Calling some bizarre penalties, whilst letting more punishable ones go. This only incensed both sets of players, with tempers boiling over several times and leading to both sides having players ejected as Wilson lost control of the game.
Wilson called penalties against Jason Hewitt, Guillaume Desbiens and a 2+2 high sticking call on Fredrick Vestberg. That last penalty would prove costly for the Steelers, as Riley Emmerson’s side refused to roll over and Rutherford’s clinical second with less than five minutes left on the clock, tied the score and sent the game into overtime.
There were no further goals in overtime so the game moved on to the shootout. Vestberg, Jeff Legue and Tyler Mosienko all missed for the visitors while Rutherford, Ryan Hayes and Paul Zanette failed to find the net for the Capitals. It was left to Ned Luckacevic to score in sudden death, meaning Ben O'Connor had to score to keep the game alive, Chubak saved, and the Caps took the extra point.

Line Ups

Edinburgh Capitals
8 Zanette - 27 Fleming - 83 Gerling
10 Lukacevic - 81 Dickin - 19 Hayes
89 Boyd/18 Beattie - 77 Coccimiglio 91 Rutherford


84 Bigos - 26 Emmerson
54 Flemington - 24 Plews/7 King


1 Carsen Chubak

Sheffield Steelers
19 Sarich - 21 Moslenko - 41 Desbiens
76 Nelson - 10 Vestberg - 75 Dowd
29 Ferrera/17 Hewitt - 12 Legue - 20 Phillips


37 Moyer - 74 Hay
81 O'Connor - 24 Coyle
6 Eddy - 28 Fitzgerald


97 Marek Pinc

Notes

* The Steelers' Ben O'Connor is the son of former Durham Wasps' import Mike O'Connor. Like his dad, Ben is a defenseman.
* The Sheffield Steelers collected a vital point in their quest for the Elite League championship, but it could so easily have been 2 as the Yorkshire club led 3-2 going into the final minutes before the referee's melt down and a slew of penalties proved costly.
* Sheffield-based newspaper, The Star had their own take on the game:
For the third time in succession they had come from behind to take the lead, but failed to net any of their four penalty shots against a side who the previous night had conceded eight at Nottingham Panthers.
The Scots ripped Steelers apart with two power play goals inside 17 minutes: Rod Sarich and Russ Moyer were in the penalty box as Canadians David Rutherford and Ned Lukacevic shot home.
Just before the first intermission, Jace Coyle banged in his third goal of the weekend to make it 1-2. Guillaume Desbiens scored his first goal in seven games to level at 26;37 though.
And Steelers took the lead with 12 minutes remaining, Ben O’Connor chalking up his sixth point in three games.
But it was dead-lock again, at 55;39, when Rutherford grabbed his second PP strike of the night.
* Just 559 Capitals, Steelers and Warrior fans were in attendance. Maybe its the £17 admission fee that puts people off, especially so soon after Christmas.