It was a tough weekend for the Manchester Storm, who put in two solid performances against the Sheffield Steelers and Belfast Giants but couldn’t quite find a way to take points from either matchup. Despite the results, there were plenty of positives, including a sell out crowd in the Shelter on Saturday night, a strong performance from David Tendeck and well-taken goals from Gianluca Esteves and Craig Martin.

Saturday: Sheffield Steelers 3-1 Manchester Storm – Martin’s Snipe a Bright Spot

The Storm welcomed the Steelers to the Shelter on Saturday night for what was always going to be a tight, physical contest. After a scoreless opening period, Sheffield broke the deadlock early in the second through Robert Dowd.

Manchester battled hard and got their reward in the third when Craig Martin ripped an absolute snipe top cheese on the power play, assisted by Cameron Critchlow and Alexis D’Aoust. It was a beauty—picking the corner with precision and giving the Steelers’ netminder no chance. But just as momentum seemed to swing in Storm’s favor, Dowd struck again to restore Sheffield’s lead before an empty-netter in the dying seconds sealed the 3-1 final.

Sunday: Belfast Giants 3-1 Manchester Storm – Tendeck Stands Tall, Esteves on the Scoresheet

The Storm then headed to Belfast for a showdown with the Giants, and while the result didn’t go their way, David Tendeck was solid between the pipes. The Storm netminder turned away 36 of 39 shots, keeping Manchester in the fight.

Belfast jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period and added a third in the second, but the Storm kept pushing. Their persistence paid off in the third when Gianluca Esteves found the back of the net. Even with little time and space in the slot, Esteves fired a pinpoint shot past the Giants’ goaltender to put Manchester on the board.

Looking Ahead: Valentine’s Day Showdown vs. Dundee

The Storm are back at the Shelter this Friday for a Valentine’s Day clash against the Dundee Stars. With the team eager to bounce back and a packed house expected, this one should have plenty of energy.

Dundee has proven to be a tough opponent this season, but Manchester will be fired up to get back in the win column. Expect a fast-paced, hard-hitting battle as the Storm look to give the home fans something to cheer about.

Puck drops at 7:30 PM—see you there!  

Tickets: https://bit.ly/ValentinesGameTickets

Written by: Julian Barbosa