Sheffield Steelers edged out but still in title frame as Belfast Giants clashes looming large
AARON FOX was grateful for the “huge” point gained in an overtime defeat at Guildford Flames on Saturday but, heading home, was left wondering what might have been.
The Steelers had gone into the game knowing leaders Belfast Giants had pulled two points further clear on the back of a 2-1 win at second-placed Cardiff Devils.
The point earned at The Spectrum was enough to haul Steelers level with Cardiff ahead of Sunday’s return match against the Flames at the Utilita Arena (face-off 4pm).
The top two both return to action on Sunday, the Giants hosting second-bottom Dundee Stars while the Devils head to the National Ice Centre to take on a fourth-placed Nottingham Panthers team looking to bounce back from a 5-1 defeat at Manchester Storm.
Already on the horizon for Steelers’ head coach Fox, though, are the three games his team has against Belfast in the next three weeks, one this Friday at the SSE Arena and a double-header in Sheffield on March 14-15.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t get the two points, obviously, but I can’t fault our effort or compete, or the way that we played on the road,” said Fox.
“We’re trying to stick around and make sure that Belfast earns it down the stretch here
“We’ve got them three times in the next six games as well, so we want to make sure that those are important and matter.”
Steelers’ netminder Eman McAdam - back at his former club - kept his team in the game through a goalless first 40 minutes by turning away all 22 shots on his net.
The deadlock was eventually broken at 43.48 through Matt Alvaro, although the lead lasted less than three minutes when Mitchell Balmas equalised for the Steelers.
It was all both sides could muster in the 60 minutes, overtime going the way of the hosts 92 seconds in when Jack Jacome cut in from the circle and fired past McAdam.
“It’s super frustrating - I think we played a good game tonight,” said Steelers’ McAdam.
“We couldn’t find the net at times and it came back to bite us. Guildford battled hard at the end and earned the points, but it’s disappointing we couldn’t get more out of it.”