Sheffield Steelers v Cardiff Devils: Steelers in no mood to give up any of their Elite League trophy haul

His moment of triumph - in his first season in the job - came just a week or so before the UK went into lockdown with the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Fast forward four years from March 2020 and it was the same competition which saw Fox clinch his second trophy with the Steelers, the first part of what turned into a memorable grand slam year.

Their hopes of retaining their Elite League title - the most-coveted of all titles in the UK’s top tier - improved on Sunday night when their 3-0 home win over Cardiff Devils was coupled with a 3-1 defeat for leaders Belfast Giants at Dundee Stars.

But there is still a lot of hard work required if they are to close what is now a seven-point gap on Cardiff with 20 games remaining, making it all the more imperative, Fox says, to get something “in the bank” early.

That means retaining the Challenge Cup but, in order to stand a chance of doing that, they first have to get past Cardiff in the semi-final, the first leg of which takes place tonight at the Utilita Arena.

Sunday’s impressive and disciplined win over the Devils will count for nothing, Fox insists, when the two teams lock horns for the second time in just four days on the same ice.

“We know it's a new game, we know that they're going to come motivated,” said Fox. “There's a lot to play for and a lot at stake but we know that if we're ready to play, we're a really good hockey team.

“And the way we've played lately has been a lot better, so I'm pretty confident that if our group's ready to play and do those little things that we've been doing lately, we should have a good game.

“We know that when we're at our best, we're very, very good and when we're not at the races, we're pretty average.

“So it's about finding that high level of compete and energy for 60 minutes. We can't take moments off, we can't take periods off and, with a little over two months left in the season here, we know how important and crucial this time is for us.”

The two teams have met previously in the Cup, both enjoying a home win in the group stages.

The Steelers have lost all three of their games in Cardiff this season, while this is only Cardiff’s second visit to South Yorkshire in 2024-25.

If the Steelers are to progress to the final - where Belfast or Nottingham Panthers will await - they will likely have to win in Cardiff to do so.

Bigger prizes may indeed await down the stretch but Fox is not taking any chances.

“You know what, it’s an interesting one because, for me, it's the first trophy that’s available,” he added.

“The season is long, it's a grind and there’s a lot of hockey played in a short amount of time. And we’ve played some 50-plus games now so it's also kind of like there is a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel, to be able to win something during the season that's been a grind and so long.

“So I see it as an opportunity to get something in the bank. A trophy is a trophy for us right now, we want to be in it for all of them as long as we possibly can.

“This is two good teams that will be going at it and two teams that can win at home or on the road. It's just about making sure that we play the right way and take whatever result that we get down there.”

Captain Robert Dowd said the Steelers should take confidence into the last four clash given the way they dealt with Cardiff in the first meeting between the two in Yorkshire on Sunday, when netminder Matt Greenfield recorded his third shutout of the season – all three coming since the turn of the year.

"We were solid, defensively we were very good and Greener was fantastic,” said Dowd. “If we can string another defensive performance like that together and Greener can stand on his head we should be fine.”