Sheffield Steelers crowned Elite League champions for sixth time

A 7-3 win over Guildford Flames – on the back of Saturday’s 4-2 road win at Nottingham Panthers – ensured that Aron Fox’s team could no longer be caught by second-placed Cardiff Devils, ending a wait of eight years since their last regular season championship.

Having missed their first opportunity to clinch the title – losing out in South Wales to a pumped up Devils team – the Steelers were clearly determined not to pass up a second chance.

Just over 10 days on from wild celebrations at the Utilita Arena after their triumph over the same Guildford opponents inn the Challenge Cup Final, a sell-out crowd was at it again as Fox took to the ice with his players and club staff to begin a second party that will have gone well into the early hours of this morning.

The Steelers got off to the best possible start when goals from Patrick Watling, Scott Allen and Marc-Olivier Vallerand gave them a 3-0 first period lead.

The Flames hit back with two goals within 20 seconds of each other inside the first two minutes of the second period – Brett Ferguson and Mike Crocock beating Matt Greenfield – only for Kevin Tansey to put some welcome distance between the two teams again at 25.42.

Ferguson made sure it wasn’t an entirely comfortable night for the champions-in-waiting when he made it a one-goal game again with a power play strike at 33.48.

But the third period saw the Steelers get a grip on the game they never relinquished again, Mitchell Balmas making it 5-3 at 46.45 before Daniel Ciampini and Vallerand with a second on the night both added some welcome gloss to the scoreline in the closing minutes.

The clinching of the most coveted prize in the top-tier of British ice hockey is vindication for head coach Fox and team owner Tony Smith for sticking by his man, while calls were made from some fans for him to go after failing to end the team’s wait for the league title before now.

The past two seasons had seen Steelers well-positioned to land the title, only to fade away.

This time, Fox got the balance of his roster spot on, a roster that could yet go one better than the double they already have.

On Saturday, the Steelers were pushed all the way by a Panthers team still pushing hard for an outside shot at making the play-offs in what has been – for obvious reasons – the most traumatic of campaigns.

They had to come from behind twice at the National Ice Centre, though, before pulling clear with two third-period goals.

Alexander Lunsjo beat Greenfield to break the deadlock at 10.03 before defenceman Dominic Cormier hauled the Steelers level just 23 seconds into the second period.

The Panthers surged ahead again in the 29th minute through Jordan Kelsall, Colton Saucerman doing the honours of levelling just over four minutes later.

The Steelers went ahead for the first time through Balmas early in the third with Josh Nicholls adding some further security when he made it 4-2 at 51.45.