Despite not managing to pick up any points, the Sheffield Steelers finished their first CHL campaign with a couple of narrow defeats to two of Europe's more powerful hockey clubs, and captain Jonathan Phillips is proud of his team's effort.

by Jon Rowson

SHEFFIELD – In a few years’ time, the history books may bluntly state that the Sheffield Steelers played four, and lost four, in the 2015–16 Champions Hockey League. However the Steelers’ players and fans can have an awful lot of pride in their team’s performances as the Yorkshire side competed with some of the best teams which Europe has to offer. The Steelers’ European adventure may be over for this season, but as captain Jonathan Phillips stated after the game, “We all really enjoyed the experience.”

Game Day 6 in Sheffield had a similar pattern to Game Day 4 a week earlier. The Steelers were level with their opponents after 40 minutes, but just did not have enough in the tank to hold on for a result, eventually losing both home games against JYP Jyvaskyla and Frolunda Gothenburg. However, the two games at the Sheffield Arena signalled a change in the Steelers’ fortunes after the British side were outclassed in Finland and Sweden, losing 3–0 and 9–1 in Jyvaskyla and Gothenburg, respectively.

Levi Nelson cancelled out Elias Falth’s go-ahead goal in Sheffield on Saturday, leaving the score tied at 1–1 after two periods between the Steelers and Frolunda. However, two goals in five third period minutes by Artturi Lehkonen and Ryan Lasch took the game away from the Steelers, whilst Falth’s second goal of the game with less than two minutes to go rubbed salt into the wound.

For Steelers’ captain Jonathan Phillips, it was a case of deja-vu after the previous weekend’s game against JYP. The 33-year-old Welshman commented, “I think tonight we just had a couple of bad bounces. We went to clear the zone and it’s just hit somebody’s leg pad and gone back into the centre. A team like Frolunda are going to punish you on plays like that. Again, we were so close but we just couldn’t get over that final hurdle and get a win.”

The loss to JYP on Game Day 4 had ended all hopes of the Steelers qualifying for the Round of 32, but the Yorkshire side gave it their all in front of 4,111 fans at the Sheffield Arena on Saturday. Head coach Paul Thompson pledged that his club would give 100 percent in their final CHL game despite travelling to Cardiff the day after for the team’s first game in their Elite Ice Hockey League title defence.

“I think our fans deserved that,” said Phillips, commenting on his team’s efforts against Frolunda. “Just for us as a team, we deserved to go out and put in a good performance and see how we could fare against Frolunda again. After a 9–1 beating there, we wanted to prove to them and prove to ourselves that we are a better team than that, and prove that we could skate with them.”

In their CHL campaign, the Steelers have drawn praise from across Europe for their high compete level and the nature of their play. Phillips, now entering his tenth season with the Sheffield Steelers, commented on this, saying, “We’re very proud of our performances. In all the games we’ve played we’ve only had one bad period and that was in our first game in Frolunda. We’re very pleased with how we’ve played, we’re just disappointed that we couldn’t get a couple of points on the board.”

Phillips is one of the most prominent names in British hockey, having captained the Steelers for seven seasons, in addition to being the captain of the national team since 2012. Despite previously leading the Steelers into battle in the IIHF Continental Cup, the calibre of opponents that the CHL presented was certainly a new experience.

Reflecting on his position as captain, Phillips surmised, “I think any time you get to lead a team is a huge honour. This is the first time the Steelers have been in the CHL and to have a chance to play against these top teams. Just to be one of the leaders on that team has been a massive honour and something to look back and be proud of.”

“We all really enjoyed the experience. It’s fun to play in these tournaments and play against the best teams in Europe,” concluded Phillips.