Despite being down to just 14 skaters at the Utilita Arena, the Belfast Giants showed guts and determination to take a point from their Elite League clash with defending Grand Slam champions the Sheffield Steelers.
Against a fully stacked Steelers roster, riding the high of their Champions League performances, Adam Keefe’s men battled to the end and Elijiah Barriga’s goal with just 3:49 left on the clock earned them something for their efforts against one of their title rivals.
Mitchell Balmas’ three shoot-out goals would end the Giants’ unbeaten record to start the season, tasting defeat for the first time this season in their sixth game, but given the circumstances it will definitely feel like a point gained rather than one dropped.
Balmas thought he had won it for the Steelers in regulation when he struck 7:46 into the final period after Jordan Kawaguchi’s sixth goal of the season was cancelled out by Daniel Leavens’ second period powerplay strike for the Steelers.
But just when it looked like Belfast had run out of energy and ideas, up stepped Barriga to finish off Josh Roach’s rush up the ice for his second goal in as many games to get the Giants the point.
They had netminder Tom McCollum to thank, too, as he made 30 saves in a hard-luck effort, although there was degree of luck as Daniel Ciampini struck the crossbar in regulation and then both Robert Dowd and Kevin Tansey hit the iron in overtime.
As much as he had everyone else’s number, though, McCollum did not have Balmas’ as the lethal winger fired home three times in the shoot-out – once in the initial five and then back-to-back in sudden death – to hand Sheffield the extra point.
Still, missing Bobo Carpenter, Joe Cassetti and Zak Galambos to injury and unable to dress Grant Mismash and Pierre-Olivier Morin, who took warm-up but were not fit enough to play in the game, this will still be a confidence-building result for Keefe.
Kawaguchi had given them the lead just 3:23 in when he fired home on the powerplay – Mark Simpson (hooking) and Brien Diffley (high sticking) off in succession – from the left circle, squeezing it in shortside on Matt Greenfield, and they held onto that advantage for the rest of the period despite some sustained pressure from Sheffield.
But eventually the dam would burst and it came exactly six minutes into the second period when Leavens also struck on the man advantage as Gabe Bast (hooking) and Bo Hanson (delay of game) headed off and the Steelers forward jammed the puck in from close range.
The Giants will be frustrated they didn’t capitalise on four straight minutes of powerplay time as Dowd was called for boarding and then Ciampini headed off for cross-checking, and instead they fell behind early in the third as Balmas tapped in a Patrick Watling pass to the crease.
That seemed like it would be enough, with the Giants visibly up against it given their short roster, but up stepped Barriga to take it overtime as he was the beneficiary of a Steelers defenceman sweeping the puck off the stick of Roach and into his path for the tying goal at 56:11.
What followed was an edge-of-the-seat period of overtime, Kawaguchi and Barriga both denied on the breakaway by Greenfield and the Steelers ringing the frame of the goal twice, but ultimately it would require the shootout where Balmas was the hometown hero.
Scott Conway’s goal had taken it to sudden death, but Steelers head coach Aaron Fox kept going to his hot hand and although Balmas’ first additional effort was cancelled out by Ben Lake’s fine finish, his third strike of the shoot-out would be the winner as Greenfield denied Conway at the second time of asking.