Man of the match Performance from Teissala
The Sheffield Steelers claimed their first win of the 2026-27 pre-season with a convincing 4-1 victory over Manchester Storm at the Utilita Arena.
A fast start set the tone, with Leevi Teissala pouncing on a Storm mistake to open the scoring before Sean Collins and Logan Roe struck in quick succession during the second period.
Manchester pulled one back through Brandon Cutler, but the Steelers remained in control and Tim Gettinger added a fourth in the final period to complete a strong night for Aaron Fox’s side.
First Period (1-0)
The Steelers started brightly and were rewarded early.
After a spell of sustained pressure, Teissala stole the puck on the Storm blue line, showed great composure to round netminder Evan Weninger and slid the puck home to send the Orange Army into celebration.
Manchester responded well and Matt Greenfield was soon called into action, producing several important saves to protect the lead.
The Steelers also had a little help from the frame of the goal as Storm rattled an effort off the crossbar.
Tempers then began to rise midway through the period, with Olivier Archambault and Stephen Johnson both assessed coincidental minor penalties following an altercation at centre ice.
Sheffield continued to enjoy the better of the chances, but there was no further way past Weninger before the first intermission.
Second Period (3-1)
The Steelers again started the period strongly, with early chances falling to Mitchell Balmas and Mikko Juusola.
The pressure eventually told when Collins found space at the back door and converted from close range to double Sheffield’s advantage.
It didn’t stay 2-0 for long.
Moments later, former Black Wings Linz teammate Roe opened his Steelers account with an excellent wrist shot into the top corner to make it 3-0.
Manchester then began to grow into the contest.
A neat passing move inside the Steelers zone created space for Cutler, who fired high past Greenfield to reduce the deficit (3-1).
The Storm continued to press and were handed the first power play of the night when Evan Jasper was called for holding the stick.
Sheffield’s penalty kill stood firm, with Brandon Whistle prominent, and the Steelers saw out the two minutes without further damage.
Jasper almost marked his return from the box in spectacular fashion when a fortunate bounce nearly sent him clear on goal.
Third Period (4-1)
The Steelers made another quick start to the third.
The line of Balmas, Teissala and Gettinger began to apply sustained pressure, and a burst of speed from Balmas down the wing created the opening for Gettinger to finish under Weninger from close range.
It was Balmas’ second assist of the night and Gettinger’s first goal in a Steelers jersey.
Sheffield were then handed a power-play opportunity of their own when Kyle Locke was penalised for holding.
The Steelers moved the puck well and came close to adding a fifth, with Adam Rockwood narrowly missing out on his first home goal after a slick passing move.
From there, Sheffield managed the game well and comfortably saw out the closing stages to secure their first victory of the new campaign.
Teissala capped an impressive evening by being named Steelers Man of the Match, while Cutler collected the award for Manchester.
Final Score: Sheffield Steelers 4-1 Manchester Storm