Sheffield Steelers turn the screw on Elite League rivals with another clinical performance on the road

It was a case of the Devils poking the bear at the Vindico Arena on Wednesday night, the hosts going 1-0 ahead after just 36 seconds before Aaron Fox’s team hit back in relentless fashion to go 10 points clear at the top of the regular season standings.

It could be argued that the league title is the Steelers’ to lose but, with more than half of the schedule still to be played, there is plenty of time and opportunity for their rivals to make up ground.

But they will have to be quick, the Steelers – led by a first-period double from Marc-Olivier Vallerand – showing once again the kind of effort and quality that has put them in such an enviable position.

“We’re soft, simple,” blasted Devils’ head coach Russell afterwards, having seen his team lose their third game in a row.

“We’re a good team that’s soft and we need to become a better team that’s harder.

“It’s not enough. And I’m not hanging the players out to dry, we just need to learn what it takes to win hockey games against good teams, because that (the Steelers) is a good hockey club, a really good hockey club.

“We did not battle enough in that game, Sheffield beat us in every battle, they beat us round the nets and they are good at it. They are willing to do the little things and that’s why they are where they are. That’s the bottom line - they are very good at the little things and they have got a mega-talented team.”

Understandably, Fox was happy with the reaction going down to such an early goal provoked in his players.

“We got off to a tough start obviously with that opening shift and going down 1-0 but really from that point on it kind of lit a fire in our group and for the next three or four shifts we played very well,” said Fox.

“We knew that Cardiff had lost their last home and that they would come ready to play. I thought we rolled pretty good tonight, the compete level was through the roof, we played hard, didn’t give up too much and when we did Greener (netminder Matt Greenfield) was there.

“It was a great road effort from the boys. We’re obviously playing pretty good hockey right now and that starts with the depth that we have and how we continually put teams under pressure.”

The Devils had every right to be pleased with themselves when they went ahead so early through Marcus Crawford inside the first minute.

But they found themselves 2-1 down by the time the first interval arrived, Vallerand tying the game with a power play goal at 8.30 before putting his team ahead with his second of the night 10 minutes later with another strike on the man advantage when he fired home at the back post to beat Rotherham-born netminder Ben Bowns.

Steelers’ turned the screw even further less than three minutes into the second period when the in-form Mitchell Balmas made it 3-1, courtesy of a set-up from line-mate Vallerand.

Cardiff thought they had made it a one-goal game again just after the halfway point only to see it chalked off for a high stick, their frustration increased further shortly after when Mikko Juusola tipped in to make it 4-1 at 34.14.

Before the second intermission, Scott Allen weighed in with his second in as many games to give the visitors a four-goal lead heading into a third period which brought no further goals at either end.