Sheffield Steelers beat Manchester Storm 4-3 in the Challenge Cup on Sunday, with Ryan Tait scoring twice and striking the winner at 58:11 after the hosts had recovered from two goals down to level the contest. The away victory completed a four-point weekend for Aaron Fox’s side, who had beaten Glasgow Clan 5-0 at home the previous night.
Tait’s decisive finish came less than two minutes from the end at the AO Arena, turning a game that had shifted repeatedly in momentum back in Sheffield’s favour. Tim Gettinger also scored twice for the Steelers, taking his total to four goals across the two weekend fixtures.
The result gave Sheffield successive wins in two markedly different matches. The Steelers had controlled Saturday’s shut-out against Glasgow, but they had to withstand a Manchester response and then find a late answer after their earlier two-goal lead disappeared.
Tait’s late finish settles an even contest
Sheffield made the stronger start and opened the scoring at 4:33 when Gettinger finished from close range after Mitchell Balmas created the opportunity. Manchester responded with pressure, requiring Matt Greenfield to make saves, but the visitors doubled their lead at 14:22. Tait completed a move involving Adam Rockwood and Balmas to put Sheffield 2-0 ahead.
The Storm reduced the deficit before the first interval. Kyle Maksimovich scored on the power play at 17:31 after Brien Diffley had been penalised for cross-checking, leaving Sheffield with a 2-1 advantage after the opening period.
Gettinger restored the Steelers’ two-goal cushion at 25:39. Sheffield’s forecheck forced a turnover behind Manchester’s net and Olivier Archambault supplied the pass for the forward to score his second of the afternoon.
That made it 3-1, but Manchester pulled level. Dennis Busby’s shot through traffic cut the gap at 35:26, before Brady Gilmour converted on the power play with 20 seconds left in the second period. The teams therefore entered the final 20 minutes tied at 3-3, despite Sheffield having held a two-goal lead twice.
Greenfield made important saves during Manchester’s early third-period pressure, according to the Steelers’ match report. Sheffield gradually created opportunities of their own, with Mikko Juusola and Leevi Teissala both testing Drew DeRidder without scoring.
The deciding sequence came at 58:11. Sheffield broke forward through Rockwood, Evan Jasper and Tait, who found room to beat DeRidder for his second goal. Manchester withdrew DeRidder for an extra attacker in the final minute, but Sheffield protected the lead.
Two wins, four points and a sharper response
The statistical balance underlined how narrow Sunday’s game was. Both teams finished with 32 shots, but Sheffield converted four of their chances and supplied the final goal at the moment Manchester appeared to have forced overtime.
Tait was named Sheffield’s player of the match after his two-goal display. Gettinger’s brace also carried added weight in the context of the full weekend: he had scored twice in the 5-0 victory over Glasgow, meaning he accounted for four of Sheffield’s nine goals across the two games. That is a transparent total from the scorelines and the two individual doubles, rather than evidence that Sheffield depend on one player.
Fox said after the Manchester match that Sheffield had spoken about building momentum. He assessed the visitors’ start as particularly strong, but acknowledged that Manchester’s two power-play goals had changed the flow of the contest and forced the Steelers to work through a difficult middle spell.
The coach also credited Greenfield’s saves early in the third period before highlighting the late attacking move that produced Tait’s winner. His assessment reflected the match chronology: Sheffield first established control, then lost their margin, before responding in the closing stages rather than allowing Manchester’s comeback to decide the outcome.
For Sheffield, the immediate competitive value is the four-point weekend and the manner of the second win. Saturday’s result showed defensive control in a one-sided match; Sunday required the Steelers to recover their composure after Manchester had erased a 3-1 deficit. Tait’s finish ensured Sheffield completed the weekend with two wins.