Sheffield Steelers find their range to register maximum haul in Scotland

That’s what Aaron Fox and his Sheffield Steelers must have been thinking on the way home on Sunday night after two powerhouse performances brought them a maximum Elite League haul on the road in clashes against Fife Flyers and Dundee Stars.

Following last week’s Challenge Cup double over Nottingham, the Steelers are now unbeaten in four heading into Wednesday’s home clash with Fife.

Head coach Aaron Fox said he liked the look of his team in the minute, but believes the seeds for a four-poijt haul in Scotland were sown in the 3-2 defeat at home to Cardiff two weeks ago.

“Obviously it’s a big four-point weekend for us, we had a big night in Fife on Saturday and we had a good weekend against Nottingham last time out,” said Fox. “But I feel our starting point was the game against Cardiff at home where we ended up losing 3-2. That’s where I felt like our group was starting to figure out what we needed to do to play well and we’ve string some pretty good games together since.

“It’s been a good three weeks for us now.”

As was the case the night before in their 10-3 win in Kirkcaldy, it was the second period where the game was settled by the Steelers on their way to a 6-3 triumph in Dundee.

Former Steelers’ forward Matt Marquardt got Omar Pacha’s team off the mark with a power play marker at 13.00 but, thereafter, it was all Steelers.

Marc-Olivier Vallerand levelled just over two minutes later and that was how it stayed until early in the second when Brendan Connolly gave the visitors the lead at 21.32.

Tanner Eberle, James Bettauer and Robert Dowd then put Fox’s team out of site at 5-1, only for Anthony Beauregard to give his side hope at 38.44.

Connolly’s second of the night – on the power play at 43.01 – quelled any hopes of a comeback, although Brett Stovin grabbed a late consolation for the Stars.

On Saturday, the Steelers had their encounter against Fife sorted by the end of the second as they went in 6-1 ahead.

They led 2-0 after 20 minutes thanks to Eric Meland and Davey Phillips and although Fife pulled one back 33 seconds into the second through Tim Crowder, goals from Vallerand, Anthony DeLuca and John Armstrong within four minutes of each other put the Steelers well in control, Eberle making it six.

Michael Davies and Connolly both netted on the power play inside the opening 10 minutes of the third, before James Livingston pulled one back.

Vallerand and then Nikolai Lemtyugov added the final goals for Sheffield, while Chase Schaber scored a late consolation for the hosts.