Sheffield Steelers finding a way to mind the gap over Elite League rivals Belfast Giants

In 2022-23, the Steelers very much came off second-best in their head-to-head series against the Giants - losing out five games to one.

The Giants ended up winning the Elite League regular season title, seven points clear of the Steelers, who finished third.

The previous year was a similar story. The Steelers fared slightly better in winning two of their six games against Belfast but they lost momentum down the stretch, the schedule pitting them against the Giants five times in the last four weeks of the regular season, of which they only won once.

They finished runners-up on that occasion but, again, seven points behind Adam Keeffe’s title winners.

This time around, however, the Steelers are - so far - proving the dominant force against a Giants team going for their fourth straight regular season crown.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Steelers enjoyed a comfortable 5-1 win over the Giants on home ice.

On Sunday, they matched that performance, posting a 4-0 victory in Northern Ireland, all the more impressive with it coming on the back of a hard-fought 6-4 win at Dundee Stars the previous evening.

At this stage of the season the signs are indeed positive. But then Steelers’ fans have been here before in each of the last two seasons since the league returned to ‘normality’ after Covid.

The Steelers emerged from their latest back-to-back games top of the standings, three points clear of nearest rivals Cardiff Devils and with a game in hand on Pete Russell’s team.

Belfast, whose domestic campaign was delayed, some would argue hampered, by their Champions Hockey League commitments, currently sit seventh in the table, eight points adrift of the Steelers and having played two games more.

Another factor to take into consideration is that the Giants have undergone a bigger roster overhaul in the summer, retaining just five regular skaters from the treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, compared to the Steelers bringing back 10 of theirs.

Among those to depart the Odyssey Arena were the prolific Scott Conway – now playing in Slovakia – and line-mate David Goodwin, who opted for a deal in Spain. Defenceman Gabe Bast also departed, heading home to Canada.

“These aren’t hard games for us to get up for,” said Fox after his team’s 4-0 win. “Belfast is a team that we’ve tried to close the gap on because they’ve been so dominant the last two years.

“We got off to that good start and then I just felt we closed the game down very well and didn’t give them anything for free and made them play a 200-foot game after we got the three-goal lead there.

“Matt Greenfield played well and it was a good two points for us.”

On Sunday, buoyed by the previous night’s success on Tayside, the Steelers picked up where they left off and effectively won the game in the first period.

Mark Simpson got the ball rolling when he was allowed to skate from inside his own zone before rounding former Steelers’ defenceman Davey Phillips and wrapping-around on Tyler Beskorowany with 7.06 on the board.

The lead was doubled when Cole Shudra - no doubt on an understandable high from his double in Dundee the night before - fired through Beskorowany's five-hole at 10.07 before Mikko Juusola piled on the agony for the hosts just over three minutes later.

The Giants enjoyed plenty of their own possession and chances but found Matt Greenfield in top form, the second period ending goalless, neither goal being breached again until there were around 10 minutes remaining.

Again it went the way of the Steelers, Brett Neumann passing across the crease for Juusola to fire in his second of the night at 49.52 to complete a fine weekend’s work for Fox and his team.