Netminder Brady Parker stopped 51 shots and assisted the game winner as Sheffield won 3-1 in Bristol

By Jake Clements

After a goalless opening period, rookie Joseph Matthewman opened the scoring with his first career NIHL National goal early in the second.

The Pitbulls momentarily restored parity through a Max Wigfield powerplay goal before Kyle Watson scored the game winner exactly three minutes later.

The home side fought valiantly to the end but couldn’t beat Parker again in the Sheffield net, and Joonas Larinmaa ensured the two points would return to the Steel City by sliding the puck into the empty net late on.

With the new year upon us, the Pitbulls were looking to begin 2026 much like how they ended 2025. A home win against one of the league’s best sides.

The first period replicated much of last weekend’s bout against the league-leading Swindon Wildcats. 

Chances at both ends, but both import netminders holding firm, not letting the puck penetrate the goal.

The best chance of the period fell to the stick of Walker Sommer. He took a pass in the neutral zone and put on the jets to spring himself on a breakaway.

He let a quick wrister go which looked for all the world to have crossed the goal line, but the officials ruled the right-hand post had produced the best save of the period.

No score after 20 minutes in what was another impressive showing from Ales Padalek’s men in the pound.

To begin the second period, the home side took their foot off of the metaphorical gas, and turnovers and untimely errors led to numerous odd-man rushes entering the Pitbulls zone.

The opening goal came at one of those opportunities.

Rookie Matthewman saw Tommy Nappier scupper his original opportunity, but the 17-year-old got the puck back in the left face-off dot and fired a sharp wrist shot past the glove of the American goaltender.

Matthewman celebrated voluptuously, and his teammates congratulated him, making sure to get the puck so the Sheffield-born forward had a souvenir to take home.

Sheffield continued to tilt the ice in their favour but couldn’t extend their advantage due to some timely saves from St Louis native Nappier in the Pitbulls’ goal.

The Steeldogs were left to rue their missed opportunities when Wigfield jammed home the equaliser deep into the period.

Tanner Butler, back in the lineup after missing last week’s game, walked the blue line before fizzing a pass towards Caly Robertson looking for a deflection.

The puck missed its intended target but ricocheted off the boards behind the goal straight to the stick of the big number 81, and he squeezed it past the pad to tie the game at 1-1.

It was Wigfield’s 7th of the season and his second powerplay goal in as many games, as the Newcastle-born forward appears to have found some scoring form.

The home side’s revival was short-lived, as just three minutes later Watson restored the away side’s lead.

In the period with a long change, the Pitbulls got caught out when Brady Parker came rushing out of his net to play the puck.

He channelled his namesake, Tom Brady (former New England Patriots quarterback), to launch a Hail Mary pass up the left boards straight onto the tape of Larinmaa.

The Finn took the puck and saucered a lovely delicate pass in stride to Watson, and he did the rest.

He settled the puck before going bar down over the glove of Nappier for his 18th of the year, much to the jubilation of the travelling crowd.

The ninth-place team limped to the second intermission trailing by one. It had been another very strong showing from the home side, but the extra scoring prowess the Steeldogs possessed was the difference through 40 minutes.

The third period was on a knife edge, and the Pitbulls had their share of opportunities.

Both Calum McGill and Rhys Smetham saw shots cannon off the mask of the man from Scottsdale, Arizona, in the Sheffield goal.

With very limited clear-cut chances in the final frame, a last-ditch throw of the dice from the home side saw them concede the third inside the final minute.

After a timeout with 1:14 remaining, Nappier remained at the bench with the Pitbulls loading up on offence, looking for that all-important goal to take them to overtime for the second straight week.

The faceoff wasn’t won cleanly, and Butler’s errant pass could only find Larinmaa’s stick, and he coasted in to guide the puck into the empty net to seal the win for the visitors. 

It was the Finn’s 13th of the season, rounding off a three-point night for the Turku-born veteran. 

The buzzer sounded, and the home side were applauded for their performance, as it proved yet again they can go toe-to-toe with the best in the division.

They may have not acquired any points in their playoff bid, but they did give everyone in the arena and tuning in at home a reason for optimism as the season rolls on.

The Pitbulls travel up to Sheffield currently sitting in 10th spot, just two points behind Romford in the final playoff position as the season enters its most pivotal point.

Puck drop is at 4pm tomorrow at Everyone Active Ice Arena in Sheffield.

Bristol are back at Planet Ice next weekend for the visit of the aforementioned Romford Raiders.

Puck drop is at the usual time of 7pm at Cribbs Causeway.

Don’t have your ticket for a big game with huge playoff implications?

Don’t fear; grab yourself a ticket from the link below and never miss a second of the action!

https://iceaccount.co.uk/bristol-pitbulls/event-tickets/?event_id=7987&stage=1