A good crowd took in an absorbing pre-season friendly between bitter rivals Manchester and Sheffield, with the Storm running out 4-1 victors.

An entertaining opening period of the pre-season hockey saw both sides grow into the game very early on. An excellent cross-zone pass from Balmas was converted by Tansey after nine minutes to give the visiting Steelers the advantage and break the deadlock. The Storm were not deterred by this, and two minutes later, Esteves struck the crossbar with a good effort from the slot. This growing pressure would eventually pay dividends for the hosts when Hinam tapped home from the doorstep in the 13th minute.

The middle twenty minutes were equally exciting, with ample opportunities for both sides. The visiting Steelers spurned a huge opportunity in the 28th minute, as Ciampini fired a shot over the bar from the slot. This missed chance would prove costly, as moments later, an excellent play from Lee to retain possession found Milton, whose tic-tac-toe play with Griffiths was converted on the backhand to give the Storm their first lead of the encounter.

A trademark Ehrhardt knee-bending slap shot doubled the hosts’ lead in the 46th minute, after a good forecheck from Crawley won possession against Tansey deep in the Steelers’ defensive zone. The young Brit found Hebert on the half boards, who immediately fed the puck to a vacant Ehrhardt, who lofted the puck over De Filippo’s blocker. A face-off won by the Storm in front of the Sheffield net was expertly turned into a goal by Esteves, who fired a quick wrister under the armpit of the netminder to ensure the first game under the tenure of Flanagan would end in victory.

Words by: Callum Schora