The Grandview Steelers did not have a road game this week, instead they had plenty of time in practice to work on their game coming off the dramatic finish last week against the Richmond Sockeyes. The Steelers pulled out the victory holding on to a slim 1 goal lead withstanding the waves of pressure from the Sockeyes searching for the tying goal. The Steelers were tested as they took a series of late penalties but the heroics of the special teams including their best penalty killer goaltender Geraghty held the door shut. Tonight, the Steelers will face a skilled and fast Delta Ice Hawks which will prove to be a good measuring stick to see if the extra practice will pay off.
The Ice Hawks brought their speed despite being on their last half of a back to back. The Steelers game plan was simple, bring physicality to try to stymied the skill and speed of the Ice Hawks. Sure enough though, the Ice Hawks open the scoring after a turnover in the Steelers end. The Steelers did generate their chances to tie up the game but the Ice Hawks controlled most of the play.
The Steelers continued to have trouble with the Ice Hawks speed as they get trapped in their end zone for long stretches. The Ice Hawks taking full advantage of the Steelers mistakes to build a comfortable 3-0 lead. The Steelers refuse to go away quietly and get on the board late in the period. Geraghty is kept busy facing 28 shots while doing his best to keep the team in the game.
Despite being outplayed the first two periods, the Steelers are still within striking distance. The Steelers complete step 1 as they score in the first half of the period to bring the score to 3-2. However, this is as close as they get as the Steelers weren’t able to find the tying goal rather give up an empty net goal to seal the deal 4-2.
The Steelers mustered 15 shots while the Ice Hawks registered 40 shots of their own.
The CCM #ALLOUT 3 Stars for tonight’s contest:
1. Ice Hawks #18 Dalton MacGillivray, 2 goals
2. Steelers #1 Ronin Geraghty, 36 saves
3. Ice Hawks #13 Alec Scouras, 1 assist
The 3 Stars are brought to you by CCM.
After a quiet week, the Steelers are in the thick of it with a road trip to Langley to face off against the Trappers. The Steelers are also honoured to be guests in Richmond against the Sockeyes on Saturday night who are celebrating their 50th anniversary night. The Steelers will cap off their week at home hosting the North Vancouver Wolf Pack on Sunday.
The Steelers fall flat against the high flying Ice Hawks dropping a 4-2 decision in a key conference match up.
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