The Sheffield Steelers kicked off their 2025/26 pre-season campaign with a thrilling 4–3 overtime victory over last year’s Playoff finalists, the Cardiff Devils, in a hard-fought opener at the Utilita Arena.
First Period: Early Exchange of Goals
The Sheffield Steelers opened their 2025/26 campaign with a pre-season clash against last year’s Playoff finalists, the Cardiff Devils, now led by former Steelers bench boss Paul Thompson in his first return since leaving in 2018/19.
A fresh-looking Steelers lineup, bolstered by returnees such Kevin Tansey, Dominic Cormier, and new Alternate Captain, Mitchell Balmas took to the ice for the opening faceoff with Robert Dowd, Evan Jasper, Ryan Tait, Cormier, and Jack Dougherty forming the starting six along with Matthew Greenfield in goal.
The Devils struck early at 1:45 when Gleason Fournier’s wrist shot from the blue line deflected through traffic and past Matthew Greenfield. The Steelers’ goaltender was tested again soon after, denying back-to-back efforts from Josh MacDonald. At the other end, new signing Cliff Pu went digging for a loose puck in Ben Bowns’ crease, sparking a confrontation with Cedric Lacroix.
The Devils kept Sheffield hemmed in before Cormier worked hard to relieve the pressure. Speedster Ryan Tait then flashed down the ice, but his backhand was turned away by Bowns around the midway mark. Moments later, Riley Brandt was whistled for slashing Stephen Harper, handing Sheffield the first power play of the night, though the Devils stood firm.
Just as Cardiff returned to full strength, the Steelers drew level at 12:30 when captain Robert Dowd tipped home a Cormier effort in front of Bowns, with Balmas providing the secondary assist. Cardiff hit back quickly at 14:14 through Kohen Olischefski, who powered down the wing and squeezed a shot under Greenfield’s glove. But the Steelers answered once more at 16:18, as Cole Shudra battled at the crease to bury a chance set up by Derek Gentile.
The first period ended with the sides deadlocked at 2–2 in a lively start to pre-season action.
Second Period: Physicality and a New Leader
The second period saw the Sheffield Steelers take the lead, capitalising on a Devils squad struggling to stay out of the penalty box. The intensity of the game increased early when Connor Caponi reacted to a hit from Logan Neilson, dropping the gloves with Neilson, who had moved from the Nottingham Panthers over the summer. Neilson’s size gave him the upper hand, and Caponi was sent to the box for instigation, giving the Devils a man advantage.
Despite the early penalty, the Devils successfully killed it off, but Sheffield’s physicality continued to dominate. New signing Nick Seitz, who had come over from Coventry, delivered a thunderous mid-ice hit to floor Gleason Fournier, sending a message that the Steelers weren’t backing down.
At 28:04, the Steelers were on the penalty kill as Cole Shudra was called for slashing, snapping his opponent’s stick at centre ice. Sheffield nearly turned the tables, as Sam Tremblay’s speed allowed him to beat Bowns to a puck behind the Devils’ net, but his pass went just outside the zone, and the play was whistled offside.
Mitchell Balmas showcased his skill, weaving through the Devils’ defence over nearly 200 feet, though his attempt went just wide of Bowns’ glove. Robert Dowd kept the physical tone high, delivering a big hit to Devils’ #57 Nolan Yaremko.
Penalty trouble continued for Cardiff at 37:44 when Ryan Barrow was sent off for tripping Cole Shudra. Dominic Cormier almost made them pay, ringing a shot off the iron from the blue line. But it was at 39:43 that the Steelers finally struck. Riley Brandt interfered with Logan Neilson at the benches, sending Sheffield on a 5 on 3 powerplay. Swift passing found new Steelers, #10 Jordon Southorn, who rocketed a shot past Bowns to give the Steelers a 3–2 lead heading into the final period.
Third Period and Overtime: Steelers Hold On
The final period saw a hard-fought battle as the Steelers and Devils remained deadlocked, pushing the contest into sudden-death overtime in the Steelers’ first.
The Devils began by killing off the carry-over penalty from the second period, before Greenfield had to go coast-to-coast to deny Brett Perlini. Ryan Tait’s blazing speed continued to trouble Cardiff, though he was unable to find the scoresheet, demonstrating his potential impact throughout the season ahead.
At 48:28, the Devils struck to level the contest at 3–3. Ryan Barrow executed a perfect tip over Greenfield’s shoulder, with Brett Perlini and Riley Brandt credited for the assists. With bodies tiring as the period wore on, neither side could find the decisive goal in regulation, sending the game to 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime.
The overtime lineup saw Robert Dowd, Ryan Tait, and Dominic Cormier take the ice for Sheffield, but it was the first change that decided the game. Mikko Juusola’s shot was expertly tipped home by Mitchell Balmas to secure a 4–3 victory, giving the Steelers a winning start to the season.
Dominic Cormier earned the first Man of the Match accolade of the season, highlighting his strong all-around performance.
Sheffield now look ahead to a return fixture against the Devils tomorrow, before hitting the road again to take on the Manchester Storm after the shirt launch on Friday, 5th September. The league opener comes on Saturday, 13th September, as the Steelers face the Guildford Flames.
