Sheffield Steelers aim to erase Elite League title pain by keeping last piece of treble silverware

The Steelers have their first opportunity to overcome the dismay of missing out on a second straight regular season Elite League title last Sunday when they head to Scotland to take on Glasgow Clan in the play-off quarter-finals.

Having been unable to hold on to either the Challenge Cup or league titles won as part of their treble-winning 2023-24 campaign, there is added incentive for the Steelers to get the job done in the post-season.

Belfast Giants, of course, who edged out the Steelers to the league title, will be looking to emulate the Steelers achievements from last year - which followed their own treble 12 months earlier.

During the regular season, the Steelers dominated the head-to-head series against the Clan, who were last week boosted by news that head coach Corey Neilson would remain in charge for 2025-26.

Steelers won five of the six games - the last one by a whopping 10-2 margin in Glasgow in March - although the Clan served notice of their threat when beating Fox’s team 2-1 in Sheffield on December 14.

Fox is expected to make a call on forward Mark Simpson as late as possible, the pivotal centre having been out injured since March 8.

Either way, Fox is expecting two tough encounters both tonight and on Sunday when the second leg takes place at the Utilita Arena.

Fox is confident his players will put their league title disappointment behind them once the post-season kicks in.

“I have a ton of respect for everyone in our room,” said Fox. “They show up to work, they make my job fun but we know it’s not always going to go your way.

“Glasgow are a team that is going to show up and play some play-off hockey and make us earn everything that we need to get. So we’ll be as prepared as we can be.”