Thanks to Bobblehat for this report...
Well the Bees came into this game hot on the heels of their first game win at Newcastle having arrived back in Bracknell at 6am, and the Steelers arrived fresh from Sheffield not having had a game on the Saturday. So us Bees' fans were expecting it to be a tough game for the lads, and so it eventually proved to be.
It opened fast and furious with the puck whizzing from end to end although the Bees were getting in the more threatening attacks and shots on goal. It wasn't until the 6th minute that the Steelers launched their most serious attack on the Bees goal. The shots rained in fast and furious on Bernie who had a purple patch and kept out three humdingers in about 30 seconds. The defence held any more attacks and the game settled down to attack and counter attack with the Bees just shading it as they were doing most of the attacking. In particular our first line of Norm, Sal and PC were causing all sorts of mayhem with the speed of their attack and their interpassing but they met up with an outstanding netminder in James Hibbert who was on top form. At 13min 33 seconds Mr Smart called the first penalty of the night against the Bees' Greg Burke for tripping. The Bees' defence were holding firm, but a momentary lapse of concentration let in Steelers new boy Derek Laxdal for the opening goal at 15min 2 secs. There was a suspicion of "man in the crease"/ "kicked in" about the goal and Mr Smart checked with the goal judge before allowing it to stand. Assists went to Kayle Short and Ken Priestlay. So for the first time this season the Bees were in arrears at the Hive, and they didn't like it. The pressure mounted on the Steelers net but their defence wouldn't give way. Well inside the last minute of the first period the Bees gained two face-offs in quick succession inside the Steelers Blue line. From the first the puck was shot in at goal and Hibbert saved. Dale Junkin won the second face off and the puck came back to Big Mac. He skated to the left but their were too many players between him and the goal, so back to the right, and about 6 square inches of net were visible. A quick back lift and the next thing the unsighted Hibbert knew was when the puck pinged into the net off the crossbar. Not the Big Mack slapshot - but just as effective for his first Bees' goal. This was timed at 19 min 58 secs - it was that close to the break. Dale Junkin got the assist. So 1-1 at the end of the first and a just scoreline reflecting the efforts of both teams.
We spent most of the break discussing the "best times to score" in a close fought game and came up with: 1)Just before a break 2) Soon after the opposition score 3) just after a break. Little did we know then that having witnessed the first we were soon to witness the other two. The Bees were caught cold and flat footed just after the face off for the second period when a pass from defence found Tony Hand all alone on the Bees Blue line. He homed in on goal and Bernie can count himself unlucky as although he saved the shot initially, it then trickled over the line. The Steelers had shown the Bees how to make good and effective use of the "No red line" rule. Ed Courtenay and John Wynne got the assists. So behind again at 20 min 18 secs and another uphill task to get back on terms. There was an almighty scramble in front of the Steelers net in the 21st minute with bodies everywhere, and Colin Ward poked the puck home for a goal at 21min 34 secs. The Steelers can count themselves unlucky with this one as when the bodies separated it was net minder Hibbert at the bottom. Despite heated arguments from the Steelers regarding their netminder being sat upon, the goal was allowed to stand. This has happened too often against the Bees in the past, so from our point of view the balance was redressed a little, but I can understand the disappointment in the Steelers camp. Dale Junkin and Paxton Schulte were credited with the assists. Our first line was again firing on all cylinders, and a great move by PC, who seemed to skate round the entire Steelers team, ended with him passing to Sal Manganaro, whose shot was pushed out by Hibbert but only as far as Norm Dezainde who made no mistake at 21min 18 secs. So three minutes after going behind for the second time, the Bees were now one goal to the good and were never headed again. It was now all attack from the Bees and PC was having an inspired game, but found his match in Hibbert in the Steelers goal, as three times in quick succession the netminder denied him a goal. At 31 min 28 secs, Hibbert surpassed all that had gone before. Again PC was through and Hibbert saved yet again, but could only push the puck out to the incoming Shayne McCosh. Hibbert was flat on the ice and as Cosher shot us Block 5ers were shouting "GOAL". But the puck never found the back of the net. Somehow Hibbert had managed to get his catcher up and save. That for me will be the save of the season. At 33mins during another Bees attack, somehow the Chief managed to get his face in the way of a flying puck and had to leave the ice. We thought the worst especially as he was having a real snorter of a game being here there and everywhere on the ice - and I reckon had made a couple of the announcements as well :o) However a quick dab of the sponge and he was back on for the next shift. In the 38th minute the old reliable first line struck again. Another excellent passing movement saw Shayne McCosh pass to Sal Manganaro who laid it back for the trailer who was none other than PC, and his first timer gave Hibbert no chance. That goal was timed at 38 min 47 sec and PC got his well deserved goal. That was the end of the scoring and excitement in the second period which saw the scoreline 4-2. Bees were well deserved leaders and apart from the opening hiccup dominated the period. However one of their problems was that their only powerplay of the period saw them faffing around with no clear idea of what to do. Let's hope they can get this sorted out.
As usual, after two exhilarating periods, the third was something of an anticlimax apart from an incident in the 45 minute when Hibbert completely misjudged a bouncing puck. This left the goal wide open and Sal Manganaro's flick back skidded across the goal line without actually crossing it. The Bees were still doing all the attacking but not with the crispness and accurate passing of the preceding two periods. It got a bit scrappy and the game was dying on its feet when the Blaiser effect came into play. At 56min 42 secs the Steelers bench called the Chief for having and illegal stick. Now in my book this is in the rules and is therefor a perfectly legitimate tactic. But it does smack of desperation tactics late on in the game and with no other way to gain an advantage. This time it backfired as after an agonisingly long time Mr Smart decided the stick was OK and Tommy (whose ugly) Plommer sat out the two minutes. The Bees then instead of pressing the advantage and going all out to score, sat back and took it easy. What a mistake as the game was setting up for a great and thrilling climax. As soon as Tommy Plommer came out of the bin the Steelers took Hibbert off forthe extra man. So just over a minute to go and an empty net beckoning. First though the Bees had to repel the six invading Steelers, which they looked likely to do. Disaster struck the Bees at 59min 30 secs as Ken Priestlay forced the puck home after good work by Ed Courtenay and Craig Chapman who got the assists. So 30 seconds to go and 4-3. The Steelers kept Hibbert off and after a stoppage just after the face off following the Steelers goal, the puck found its way to Colin Ward on the boards. Thank goodness it was him and not one of the more excitable members of the Bees squad who might have had a shot at goal from that position, for he used his skill and experience to take the puck away from the boards into centre ice, and faced with a lone Steeler guarding the net had no difficulty in placing the puck beyond his reach at 59min 47 secs. So the sweetness of an ENG and the two goal cushion restored. And that's how it ended 5-3 to the Bees.
The Bees for periods of the game were not the crisp and efficient side that they have been so far this season. Perhaps the Steelers provided a more difficult challenge than so far met. In any event the Bees have played better than this so perhaps the long journey to and fro the North East had taken its toll after all. IMHO the Steelers are the best outfit yet seen at the Hive this season and their skill belies their current position. For them things can only, and will, get better.