Sheffield Steeldogs aim to get timing right in order to retain NIHL National play-off crown

Last year, the Steeldogs made it a double-winning season when they added the post-season silverware on offer at Coventry’s SkyDome Arena to the National Cup they had secured earlier in the season.

Throw in a third-place regular-season finish and it was a memorable 2021-22 campaign for the South Yorkshire club.

While their hopes of retaining the National Cup were dashed in January by Yorkshire rivals Leeds Knights, Wood has his sights firmly set on performing when it matters most in order to celebrate the post-season for a second successive year.

They currently sit fourth in the standings and while mathematically they can overhaul third-placed Peterborough Phantoms, Wood believes it is “irrelevant” where his team finish the regular season, as long as they build momentum at the right time for the play-offs, which this year return to a straight knockout format.

“We just need to make sure that we’ve got ourselves a successful style of hockey when the play-offs arrive,” said Wood. “We’re not a team that can just switch it on.

“We don’t have an on and off switch, we have to build and we have to get a consistent level of performance over numerous weekends that’s going to give us the best chance to make that play-off finals weekend and if we can get to that weekend, I would never back against us.”

To start building that momentum, Wood takes his team to bottom club Bees IHC tomorrow for what is their only game of the weekend.

It will be the Steeldogs’ third and final visit of the season to the Bees’ Slough home, having enjoyed mixed fortunes on their previous visits, winning 2-1 in October but losing 5-4 in overtime in January.

The visitors will go into the clash as favourites, but Wood anticipates another difficult night against Dominik Gabaj’s team.

“They are a dangerous team, particularly in that rink which is a great leveller,” added Wood.

“It’s got tiny neutral zones, so moving the puck becomes difficult and you have to fight in that rink, you have to be willing to make sacrifices and you need an awful lot of luck at times, too.

“We're under no illusions that Sunday is going to be an absolute minefield to get through, but we’ve been there and done it before and this Sunday will be no different.”

The Bees will host the Steeldogs after being one part of a top versus bottom clash at Elland Road Ice Arena tonight when they travel to leaders Leeds Knights (face-off 6.30pm).

Ryan Aldridge’s side go into the clash four points clear of second-placed Milton Keynes Lightning with a game in hand, but face a tricky road trip on Sunday when they head to Peterborough Phantoms.

Third-placed Peterborough – who face the Knights in the National Cup final later this month – will see Sunday’s encounter as a last chance to rein in the leaders, sitting as they do six points adrift of Leeds and having played a game more. Any further ground lost on the Knights would probably signal the end of their regular season title hopes.

Second-bottom Hull Seahawks – buoyed by the re-signing of netminder Jordan McLaughlin in midweek – will look to put some further distance between themselves and the Bees when they head to Telford Tigers tonight.

A win would take them to within nine points of their hosts, who currently occupy in the eighth and final play-off spot, although their chances of making the post-season remain faint.

Tomorrow sees them host fifth-placed Swindon Wildcats (face-off 5.30pm).