Sheffield Steelers: Injury blow further hampers Aaron Fox's forward thinking for crunch Challenge Cup clash
SHEFFIELD STEELERS’ coach Aaron Fox is hoping for some overdue positive injury news as his team prepares to try and clinch their place in the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
The Steelers go into Wednesday night’s clash at the Utilita Arena against Manchester Storm – their last Group A game – knowing a win will secure a top two finish and, with it, automatic progression to the final four.
A point leaves them in the top two, but they would be left waiting for the outcome of Manchester’s remaining two group games against Coventry Blaze and Cardiff Devils later this week before they find out their fate.
They are currently in second spot, on the same number of points as Cardiff, who top the standings by virtue of having more regulation wins.
The last two of those five wins inside 60 minutes came at the weekend, the Steelers being edged out 1-0 at the Vindico Arena on Saturday before the Devils won 4-2 at Nottingham Panthers to end the last four hopes of Danny Stewart’s team.
It’s anything but simple, but what will be of equal interest to Fox at the moment is the availability of several of his key players.
The weekend saw the continued absence of talismanic captain Rob Dowd, who hasn’t played since October 3, while top goalscorer Mitchell Balmas sat out both the Cup trip to South Wales and the 6-3 home win in the league against Fife Flyers on Sunday.
To make matters worse, fellow forward Mikko Juusola had to be escorted from the ice during the Fife game with a serious-looking injury.
That blow left Fox perplexed at the decision not to review the hit made on Juusola, although he wasn’t impressed with the officials all night.
“There's four of them (officials),” Fox told Steelers TV after the win over Fife. “I don't know how none of them see it for a review opportunity there.
“When we're not good I'll call that out, when I'm not good I can call that out and (tonight) I didn't think those four were very good.
“And that was all over the ice, being in the way of pucks that we’re getting out, many different moments - after we get those two power plays in the first, we don't get another power play for the rest of the game and we counted probably 12 that there's potential on.
“It’s not very often I'm gonna sit here and say these types of things - and we won tonight - but that was a tough one for me.
“There was probably more than one moment that left me a little bit upset from that side of the game.
“For me, the first point of contact is clearly Miko's knee in that situation.
"It's clear that it's leg on leg there first and you lose a pretty good player without a review, I just don't understand.”
When asked as to the availability of his injured players, Fox, responded: “Dowdy is some way away, unfortunately. Mitchell is much closer so we'll reassess that for Wednesday.”