The Sheffield Steelers got their first win of the 2026-27 pre-season in convincing fashion, beating Manchester Storm 4-1 at the Utilita Arena. The scoreline was built on an early breakthrough and then a controlled stretch that gave Sheffield the kind of benchmark coaches want before the games start to matter for real.
Leevi Teissala set the tone early by stealing the puck on the Storm blue line, rounding Evan Weninger and scoring the opening goal. That mattered not just because it gave Sheffield the lead, but because it immediately forced Manchester Storm to chase the game in a pre-season setting where structure and patience are supposed to be the priority.
Steelers take control after the opener
The second period was where the gap opened. Sean Collins made it 2-0, then Logan Roe added a third to push Sheffield into a commanding 3-0 position. At that point, the match had the shape of a side that was finding its rhythm against one still trying to settle into one.
Manchester Storm did respond later in the game when Brandon Cutler scored to make it 3-1, but the reply was only a brief interruption. Tim Gettinger finished the job in the final period with Sheffield's fourth goal, restoring the cushion and sealing a result that never really stopped looking comfortable after the first strike.
For a pre-season game, the result should be handled carefully. This was preparation, not league pressure, and the value of the night is less about the points and more about what the performance suggested. Sheffield looked able to turn an early lead into control, and that is usually a useful habit regardless of the stage of the calendar.
Manchester Storm will not take much from the final score, but they will at least know the game was decided by a few moments where Sheffield were sharper in the key areas. For the Steelers, the larger takeaway is simple: after going into the night without a pre-season win, they finally found one, and they did it with a performance built on an early goal, a strong second period and enough depth to close it out.
