Struggling Steelers punished for their missed opportunities
A HOME opener for new head coach Tom Barrasso and a return to action for forwards Rob Dowd and Jordan Owens failed to bring the desired boost for Sheffield Steelers as they suffered a fifth straight league defeat.
The 3-1 defeat to Fife Flyers ensured the Steelers remain rooted to the bottom of the Elite League standings ahead of a daunting trip to defending champions Cardiff Devils on Saturday evening.
Buoyed by the return of forwards Dowd and Owens, it was the Steelers who came out of the blocks the quickest, the GB forward particularly lively around the Fife net and going close to breaking the deadlock on a couple of occasions.
The Steelers were first to earn a power play in the 10th minute, although it was the Flyers who came closest to scoring, with netminder Jackson Whistle having to be alert to deny Carlo Finucci when he burst through on a one-on-one.
The breakthrough eventually went the way of the home side and deservedly so, Justin Buzzeo driving the net and, when his initial effort was denied by Shane Owen, he was quickest to react to create an angle and lift the rebound into the roof of the net at 18.51.
The Steelers’ failure to make several second period power play opportunities to count was to cost them.
In the 36th minute and having just killed a penalty call on Buzzeo, the Flyers pulled themselves level, the puck ricocheting into the path of Evan Bloodoff, who was free to fire home beyond a stranded Whistle.
It got worse for the hosts just over five minutes into the third, Fife doing something the Steelers haven’t managed a great deal of this season – scoring on the power play when Brett Bulmer forced the puck home from close range.
Try as they might, the Steelers couldn’t pull themselves level, a sixth power play of the evening again proving fruitless, although there were decent efforts for Jonas Westerling and Josh Pitt.
With Whistle pulled for the extra attacker in the closing moments, Fife closed the game out with an empty net strike from Paul Crowder.