Memories return as Steelers celebrate great times
Alex Dampier, the coach who delivered a triple crown grand slam in 1996, returned to the city he spent six years in to coach some of his former charges and a host of other former players against a team of Cardiff Devils legends.
Tim Cranston, Ron Shudra, Tommy Plommer, Mike O’Connor, Dennis Vial, Chris Kelland and Mike Blaisdell – who coached the Steelers to another grand slam in 2001 – were among those returning, to the delight of an warm and appreciative crowd at Sheffield Arena.
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Hide AdThe most emotional moment of the festival came when the No 11 jersey of former forward Plommer was ‘retired’ to the Arena rafters – 11 years after he left the club.
The Steelers’ legends comfortably won their encounter 7-3, as did player-coach Ryan Finnerty’s current roster when they got their first outing of the pre-season against their Cardiff counterparts, running out 3-2 winners thanks to goals from Tom Squires, new forward Colt King and Rod Sarich.
Last night’s return match in Cardiff for the current line-up ended in a 2-2 stalemate, with Ashley Tait’s powerplay strike being followed by a first in Steelers colours for newcomer Mike Ramsay to seal an impressive comeback by the visitors.
HULL STINGRAYS got their pre-season preparations underway with two games against close rivals Coventry Blaze.
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Hide AdGoals from 2010-11 top scorer Jereme Tendler, Frantisek Bakrlik (2), Dominic Osman and Jason Silverthorn gave the Stingrays a 5-2 win in Hull on Saturday.
Last night’s return match in Coventry saw Hull captain Josh Mizerek and player-coach Sylvain Cloutier on target before the hosts rallied to level through Shea Guthrie and Luke Fulghum.