Sheffield Steelers coach Aaron Fox calls for 'better' after testing weekend

AHEAD OF his team’s biggest game of the season, Sheffield Steelers’ head coach Aaron Fox has unexpected concerns about his team’s performances - but they are nothing to do with the Champions Hockey League.

The weekend saw an anomaly in Steelers-land when they lost twice in a row, the first a shoot-out loss in the Challenge Cup at Manchester Storm, the second a 4-2 defeat in the league at Coventry Blaze, the hosts twice coming from behind.

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Previously this season, Steelers’ head coach Fox has alluded to his team’s difficulty in transferring their CHL form into domestic competition.

It didn’t stop them continuing their season on both fronts in impressive style, though, the Steelers winning their first four games in the Cup, while also enjoying success in their first two league outings.

TOUGH NIGHT: Sheffield Steelers' Mikko Juusola battles for possession during Sunday's 4-2 defeat at Coventry Blaze. Picture: EIHL Media/Scott Wiggins.TOUGH NIGHT: Sheffield Steelers' Mikko Juusola battles for possession during Sunday's 4-2 defeat at Coventry Blaze. Picture: EIHL Media/Scott Wiggins.
TOUGH NIGHT: Sheffield Steelers' Mikko Juusola battles for possession during Sunday's 4-2 defeat at Coventry Blaze. Picture: EIHL Media/Scott Wiggins.

But the weekend is where their inability to match the kind of 60-minute intensity which has brought them to the brink of advancing to the second phase of the CHL saw Fox admit to some concerns domestically.

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“We’ve had some real success at the Champions league level but that hasn’t carried over into our domestic games,” said Fox, ahead of Wednesday night’s CHL clash at home to Czechia’s Dynamo Pardubice. “I know we’ve won a ton of games but it hasn’t been our best.

“We’ve got some soul-searching here and we’re going to have to look in the mirror a little bit here and figure out how to find our game here in the UK, because I’m here to win and give ourselves an opportunity to win trophies.

“Right now, the level of our play hasn’t been good enough.

CONSISTENCY: Sheffield Steelers' head coach Aaron Fox wants his players to strike a better balance between their CHL and EIHL form. Picture: Dean Woolley/Steelers MediaCONSISTENCY: Sheffield Steelers' head coach Aaron Fox wants his players to strike a better balance between their CHL and EIHL form. Picture: Dean Woolley/Steelers Media
CONSISTENCY: Sheffield Steelers' head coach Aaron Fox wants his players to strike a better balance between their CHL and EIHL form. Picture: Dean Woolley/Steelers Media

“Games are about a lot of details and competing for 60 minutes is one of them and we haven’t done that a ton in these domestic games.

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“I know we’ve put a huge premium on how well we’ve performed in the CHL but our goals are very clear for these domestic competitions.

“We want to be in the hunt down the stretch and win trophies again here, so we’ve got to be better.”

Hurting from their first defeat in the Cup in Altrincham the previous evening, the Steelers got off to the perfect start at Coventry’s SkyDome Arena when Marc-Olivier Vallerand fired home off a Robert Dowd feed inside two minutes - the point enough for the Steelers’ captain to draw level with Colin Shields at the top of the all-time Elite League point-scoring list.

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The Blaze were level within five minutes through a power play strike from Brandon Alderson, only for the Steelers to forge ahead for a second time just before the end of the second through Kevin Tansey.

But a cross-checking call on Daniel Ciampini shortly after proved the be telling, Coventry drawing level for the second time on the man advantage, this time through Jakob Stridsberg at 42.01, before they got themselves ahead for the first time when Chase Gresock beat Matt Greenfield 75 seconds later.

Steelers returned to full strength but they couldn’t find a way back, their cause hampered further when Zach Heintz made it 4-2 with just over three-and-a-half minutes remaining.