A bumper crowd at the Shelter witnessed a tightly contested encounter between traditional rivals Sheffield and Manchester, as the hosts edged out their opponents 4-3 after penalty shots.

A wild bounce off the end boards landed on the blade of Ulrick, who gleefully tapped home to open the scoring in the 10th minute. However, it took the Storm less than a minute to restore parity, as Durflinger rifled a shot from the slot, sparing the blushes of linemate Hebert, who had missed from close range moments earlier. A second strange goal of the period favoured the hosts this time, as De Filippio failed to locate the puck quickly enough, leaving it prone in the paint for Durflinger to complete his first-period brace. An uncalled high stick on Hinam led immediately to a brief tussle between the skilled forward and Steelers defenceman Saucerman, sending both to the box for five minutes.

The middle period saw Sheffield come out of the traps quickly, with Weninger forced into making several fine saves early on. The growing pressure from the visitors eventually paid off on the scoresheet, as Whistle’s five-hole finish at the halfway mark brought the game level at two apiece. The remainder of the second period was disrupted by several minor penalty infractions, which stifled the flow and rhythm of the game.

A defensive breakdown saw Dowd clean through on goal, but Weninger stood tall, producing a crucial save in the 45th minute. This momentum-shifting moment allowed the Storm to rush down the ice from the resulting face-off, with Esteves tucking home from the slot to restore their slender lead. Another outstanding save from Weninger in the 51st minute saw him kick out his left leg to deny the Steelers. However, a neat backhand finish from Juusola seconds later tied the game at 3-3 with just over eight minutes remaining. It appeared both teams were content to take the game into overtime, with the Shelter witnessing bonus hockey for a second consecutive weekend.

The Storm thought they had a well-deserved match winner when Hebert expertly lofted the puck on his backhand from close quarters, only for it to be disallowed by the officials after a lengthy review. The remainder of overtime saw caution thrown to the wind, with both teams pushing for a decision before penalty shots, which ultimately wasn’t the case. However, penalty shot goals from D’Aoust and Hughes saw Manchester eventually take both points from the encounter.