Sheffield Steelers and the urgent need to halt their Elite League slump
AARON FOX believes Sheffield Steelers are making life difficult for themselves in their pursuit of the Elite League title and warns they are leaving themselves little room for error in the next three months.
There may be 29 regular season games left but a three-game losing run at any time of the season can end up coming back to bite teams’ hard.
Fortunately for the Steelers, neither Nottingham Panthers - the current leaders - nor Cardiff Devils enjoyed perfect runs over the festive period, meaning not too much damage has been done. Yet.
Coming up quickly on the rails are defending champions Belfast Giants, who have lost just once in regulation in 13 games and now sit two points behind third-placed Steelers with three games in hand.
After being edged out 4-3 at Nottingham and then 5-3 at home to Manchester Storm on Tuesday, the Steelers’ latest setback came in their New Year’s Day rematch with the latter, Cal Critchlow’s team running out 3-0 winners.
As in the previous two games, mistakes proved costly for the Steelers at Storm’s Altrincham home.
“Top to bottom, we’re really not good enough right now for our group,” said a frustrated Fox.
“I actually liked the first 20 that we played, I felt like we managed the game really, really well and we had a few Grade A scoring chances.
“Just right now with our group, though, the first mistake that we make ends up costing us.
“And it is sending us down a pretty ugly path immediately afterwards and we’re not bouncing back after those mistakes very well and you can see the frustration in our group.
“Our bad is just so bad right now that it is tough to win hockey games when you’re giving up those types of goals - and obviously if you score zero goals you’re not going to win many hockey games.
“But just the urgency and desperation within our group for 60 minutes right now is lacking and not good enough and there is not a lot of time here to turn it around.
“I know there are 29 games left and we’re a couple of points out or whatever you want to make it - but these are points lost over this Christmas period that we’re going to have to make up somewhere else and so the grind gets even harder. It’s disappointing.”
After a goalless first period, it wasn’t until just after the halfway point that the deadlock was broken in Altrincham, through Nick Welsh’s one-timer.
Just over three minutes later, it got worse for the Steelers when Gary Haden beat Matt Greenfield on an odd-man rush.
The Steelers dominated possession and chances in the third, but their task had been made harder not long after the restart when Haden grabbed his second of the night at 42.44.
Steelers’ defenceman Brien Diffley echoed his head coach’s concerns when reflecting on a disappointing festive period for the team, one which had started so brightly with a Boxing Day overtime win over the Panthers.
“These weren’t the results we wanted transitioning into the new year, and I think it’s been trending that way a little bit,” said Diffley.
“We have to sort this out pretty quickly. It comes down to how much we want it. Every team is going to give their best, it’s about out-competing them which we haven’t done.”
The Steelers have an opportunity to right the ship when they host Fife Flyers on Saturday at the Utilita Arena (7pm).
The Flyers, under new management this season, went through a tough start but, following the addition of former NHL players Milan Lucic and David Booth, enter 2026 optimistic of making the play-offs, winning two of their last three, including a 4-3 win after a shoot-out against Belfast last Sunday.