Game Summary
It was a night of fine margins at the Utilita Arena as the Sheffield Steelers fell to a narrow 3–2 defeat against the Glasgow Clan, ending the opening league weekend with one win and one loss. After Saturday’s emphatic 6–1 victory over Dundee, expectations were high for another strong home performance, but despite controlling large stretches of play the Steelers couldn’t find a way past the impressive Clan goaltender, Sami Aittokallio.
Head Coach Aaron Fox’s side showed plenty of attacking intent, peppering the Glasgow net with 27 shots on target and dominating possession across all three zones. However, the Clan executed a disciplined, defensive game plan, collapsing well around their net and frustrating Sheffield’s forwards with a mix of tight checking and committed shot blocking.
Matthew Greenfield once again stood tall in goal for the Steelers, turning aside 25 of 28 efforts and producing several highlight-reel saves to keep his team in it. But despite another resilient performance from the Steelers’ netminder and a powerplay goal from Stephen Harper, it was the Clan who took their chances when they came, led by the dynamic line of Brayden Burke, Tristin Langan, and Deven Sideroff, each finding the scoresheet on the night.
The result sees the Steelers take two points from the opening weekend, with immediate focus now shifting back to Challenge Cup action on Wednesday night against the Nottingham Panthers; a key fixture that could decide top spot in the group stage.
First Period – Steelers 1–1 Clan
Before the opening puck drop, the Utilita crowd rose in appreciation for Glasgow’s Robert Lachowicz, who was honoured for skating in his 1,000th Elite League game, joined by his family at centre ice. Once play began, the Steelers picked up right where they left off the previous night, full of energy, forechecking hard, and driving pucks toward Aittokallio’s crease.
Stephen Harper and Cliff Pu combined well early, creating space for Dominic Cormier to step in from the blue line, only for his effort to be blocked in traffic. Mitchell Balmas tested Aittokallio moments later with a low drive from the left, but the Finnish netminder was equal to it. At the other end, Greenfield was called upon to make a brilliant double save on Brayden Burke and then denied another one-on-one break after a turnover at the Clan blue line.
The Steelers earned the first powerplay of the night when Chris McKay was called for slashing at 8:01, but unlike last night’s perfect 3-for-3 conversion rate, this time the Clan penalty kill stood firm, disrupting the Steelers’ zone entries and clearing the danger.
The visitors struck first at 14:39, when Hugo Roy found a small gap at Greenfield’s near post, assisted by Tristin Langan and Brayden Burke, giving Glasgow a 1–0 advantage against the run of play. The Clan nearly doubled their lead soon after, but Darien Kelb’s backhand attempt slid wide of the far post.
Sheffield responded with purpose, and their persistence was rewarded at 19:05 when Dominic Cormier blasted home from the far post after excellent work in the corner by Derek Gentile and Mikko Juusola. The equaliser lifted the building, sending the teams into the first intermission level at 1–1, with Sheffield outshooting Glasgow 9–7.
Second Period – Steelers 2–2 Clan
The middle frame began brightly for the Steelers, as Ryan Tait and Derek Gentile both forced early saves from Aittokallio. The pressure soon paid off when Steven Seigo was sent to the box for slashing at 23:09, and Sheffield’s lethal powerplay went straight to work. Just 24 seconds later, Stephen Harper made it count, taking a feed from Cliff Pu and spinning in tight to slide the puck five-hole, restoring the Steelers’ lead at 2–1. Jordon Southorn collected the secondary assist on the play.
From there, the game tightened considerably. The Clan adjusted, clogging the neutral zone and forcing the Steelers into turnovers between the blue lines. Despite Sheffield’s territorial advantage, Glasgow began to tilt the shot count, firing 20 attempts to the Steelers’ 14 by the end of the period. Greenfield again came up big midway through the frame, pulling off another double save to deny Burke and Langan in quick succession.
At the other end, Sam Tremblay made a vital defensive play to break up a dangerous two-on-one rush with a perfectly timed stick. But with less than two minutes to go, frustration mounted when Mikko Juusola appeared to be held near the benches with no call forthcoming, allowing Glasgow to counter quickly. Colton Poolman threaded a stretch pass through the neutral zone to Deven Sideroff, who made no mistake one-on-one with Greenfield to tie it 2–2 at 38:53.
The period ended even on the scoreboard but with Glasgow carrying momentum, having frustrated the home side’s attack through disciplined, structured play.
Third Period – Steelers 2–3 Clan
The Steelers needed a fast start to reclaim control, but it was the Clan who struck just 49 seconds into the third. Brayden Burke, Glasgow’s most dangerous forward on the night, snapped a quick release from the slot past Greenfield, assisted once again by Langan and Sideroff, to give the visitors a 3–2 advantage.
From there, Glasgow executed the perfect road strategy, collapsing around Aittokallio, blocking lanes, and denying Sheffield’s skilled forwards time and space to create. Despite a late surge from the Steelers’ top lines, Aittokallio stood tall, finishing with a 92.59% save percentage to preserve the lead.
As the clock wound down, tempers flared when Greenfield was taken out in his own crease with just over two minutes remaining, but no penalty was called, much to the frustration of both the netminder and the home bench. The Steelers pushed hard with Greenfield pulled for the extra attacker, but the Clan defence held firm, sealing the 3–2 victory and their second league win of the new campaign.
Ryan Tait earned the Steelers’ Man of the Match award for his relentless work rate, while Deven Sideroff took the honours for the Clan after scoring and assisting on the game-winner.
Next Up
The Steelers won’t have to wait long for redemption as they return to the Utilita Arena on Wednesday night to face the Nottingham Panthers in Challenge Cup action. A regulation win would all but eliminate Nottingham’s Cup hopes and move Sheffield into pole position in their group, a perfect chance to bounce back in front of the home crowd.
