Individual News
7th of April 2008
Coventry Blaze 0 Sheffield Steelers 2
Sheffield got their hands on the silveware for the first time in three seasons as their man of the match Jody Lehman recoreded the first ever shut out in a Play Off Final.
After the first period of the Play-Off final Sheffield Steelers lead by a single goal, deservedly so as they have had the bulk of the play in a penalty filled period. The only goal came at 13.40 with Jonathan Phillips (24th of the season) skating in from the left to stuff the puck past Trevor Koenig in the Coventry net. Koenig has had to look sharp throughout with Steelers piling on the pressure and in total Blaze had to kill off six Steelers powerplay opportunities.
A better period for Blaze in the second session but Steelers doubled their lead thanks to a strike at 35.03 from Dan Tessier (16th) as he fired home from an acute angle with Koenig looking slow to cover his post. It was still chippy throughout the second period and Steelers had to play their way out of three Blaze powerplays and right at the end of the period Curtis Huppe had a shot ring off the post but Steelers were looking good after two periods.
Blaze threw everything at Steelers in the third period but the superbly marshalled Steelers defence along with stand out goaltender Jody Lehman repelled all efforts to claim a shut out and Play-Off Championship. This was Steelers first Play-Off success since the inagural season of the Elite League.
MOM: Coventry: Neal Martin
MOM: Sheffield: Jody Lehman
Period Scores: 0-1, 0-1, 0-0
Penalty Mins: 28-24
Powerplay: Cov 0/6 She 1/7
Shots On: Trevor Koenig 38 - Jody Lehman 32
Semi-Final results:
Coventry 4 - 2 Newcastle
Sheffield 2 - 1 Cardiff
Sheffield got their hands on the silveware for the first time in three seasons as their man of the match Jody Lehman recoreded the first ever shut out in a Play Off Final.
After the first period of the Play-Off final Sheffield Steelers lead by a single goal, deservedly so as they have had the bulk of the play in a penalty filled period. The only goal came at 13.40 with Jonathan Phillips (24th of the season) skating in from the left to stuff the puck past Trevor Koenig in the Coventry net. Koenig has had to look sharp throughout with Steelers piling on the pressure and in total Blaze had to kill off six Steelers powerplay opportunities.
A better period for Blaze in the second session but Steelers doubled their lead thanks to a strike at 35.03 from Dan Tessier (16th) as he fired home from an acute angle with Koenig looking slow to cover his post. It was still chippy throughout the second period and Steelers had to play their way out of three Blaze powerplays and right at the end of the period Curtis Huppe had a shot ring off the post but Steelers were looking good after two periods.
Blaze threw everything at Steelers in the third period but the superbly marshalled Steelers defence along with stand out goaltender Jody Lehman repelled all efforts to claim a shut out and Play-Off Championship. This was Steelers first Play-Off success since the inagural season of the Elite League.
MOM: Coventry: Neal Martin
MOM: Sheffield: Jody Lehman
Period Scores: 0-1, 0-1, 0-0
Penalty Mins: 28-24
Powerplay: Cov 0/6 She 1/7
Shots On: Trevor Koenig 38 - Jody Lehman 32
Semi-Final results:
Coventry 4 - 2 Newcastle
Sheffield 2 - 1 Cardiff