Road trip calls for Sheffield Steelers to repeat '˜ideal' game

Tom Barrasso’s side head north for a first visit of the season to Glasgow Clan before, 24 hours later, making the rather shorter trip to take on Fife Flyers

The double-header weekend comes just five days after their last trip across the border which saw them return home on the back of a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Dundee Stars.

That win helped the Steelers take something from a weekend which began badly with a frustrating 6-5 home defeat to Guildford Flames on Saturday.

But, while Phillips acknowledges the Steelers got away from their gameplan in front of their own fans, they were quickly able to put things right on Tayside.

And it is that performance that needs to be replicated across two successive nights this weekend.

“It was probably one of our best team performances of the season in Dundee,” said Phillips. “We kept their chances low but created plenty for ourselves, so it was pretty much the ideal game.

“There were a lot of little errors made against Guildford that we needed to tighten up and correct. But it was nothing major, we just got off track a little bit and we showed the way we can play at both ends the night after.”

Sheffield visit a Glasgow team smarting from a 6-1 defeat on Wednesday at the hands of bottom club Milton Keynes Lightning, who remain without a coach after Doug McKay’s departure earlier in the week.

“Glasgow will be looking to put things right after losing so heavily and will want to put in a good performance in front of their own fans,” added Phillips. “But as long as we’re skating hard and doing what Tom’s been instructing us to do, we should be able to put ourselves into a good position.”

The Steelers’ previous visit to Fife this ended in a 4-1 defeat and Todd Dutiaume’s team will prove a tough obstacle as they currently sit second in the standings.

“Fife are second in the table for a reason,” said Phillips. “They are a very good team, particularly at home. It’s going to be a tough two days.”