By Luke McGinnis
While Sheffield arguably had the higher share of puck possession throughout the first period, the Stars displayed a strong defensive performance and effectively shut down the Steelers’ offense.
Emil Kruse pulled out a number of key saves in the opening minutes, including a tremendous glove save just 45 seconds in to deny Robert Dowd and a crucial stop on a 3-on-1 rush shortly after.
Dundee’s best chance of the period came through Kameron Kielly, as the former Steeler capitalised on some quick puck movement in the offensive zone to find himself alone in front of the net, but couldn’t quite lift the puck over the pads of Matt Greenfield.
A slashing penalty on Kris Inglis gave Sheffield the game’s first powerplay, which Jordon Southorn converted on with a slapshot from the right circle at 16:33 to score the only goal of the period.
The second period began with back-and-forth action on both ends of the ice, with the Stars breaking out using their speed to generate high-danger scoring chances which forced Greenfield into several tough saves.
Jonathan McBean scored his first goal of the season at 27:34 to get Dundee on the board and tie the game at 1-1. A defensive-zone takeaway by Justin Bean sparked a Stars rush up the ice. Craig Garrigan’s drop pass found Bean, whose initial shot was stopped by Greenfield, but McBean was first to the rebound and slotted it home.
Kevin Tansey responded, regaining the lead for the home side at 30:40 after crashing the Stars’ net and redirecting a pass from Sam Tremblay past Kruse.
A tripping call against Griffin Luce gave the Steelers their second powerplay of the evening, which Evan Jasper converted on to make it 3-1. A pad save by Kruse denied Ryan Tait in close, however the puck fell to Jasper, who made no mistake and fired the rebound home at 31:58.
An interference call on Craig Moore late in the period proved fatal, as Jordon Southorn got his second goal of the game at 38:41 with a shot from the high slot that pinged off of the crossbar and into the Stars’ net.
Dundee began the third period with their first powerplay of the game, as Jack Dougherty took a tripping penalty against Hampus Olsson. Matt Berry came close to scoring the Stars’ second goal of the night, picking up the rebound from a shot by Otto Nieminen and hitting the post of the Sheffield net.
An intercepted pass in Sheffield’s zone set up a shorthanded odd-man rush, with Mitchell Balmas sliding the puck to Ryan Tait, who fired it into the roof of the Stars’ net at 41:57. Joona Huttula made it 6-1 at 48:22, with his shot from the blueline sneaking past Kruse.
The Stars showed resilience, battling hard to close the gap. Late in the period, McBean came close to his second goal of the game. Morten Jürgens capitalised on a turnover behind the Steelers’ net and found McBean alone in the slot, but Greenfield recovered and denied his shot. The final buzzer sounded at Utilita Arena, with the Steelers claiming a 6-1 win.
