Sheffield Steelers v Eisbaren Berlin: No pressure as underdogs look to make Champions Hockey League history

It goes some way to explaining some of the performances they have produced when beating some of European hockey’s elite in the CHL’s ‘regular season’ phase, one which saw them finish 10th after winning four of their six games.

Over the course of two legs against German champions Eisbaren Berlin – the first of which takes place at the Utilita Arena tonight (7pm) – there remain few expectations on Aaron Fox’s team.

That, coupled with a fervent desire from the players to prove that they should be taken seriously – an approach which goes a long way to explaining stsunning wins over the likes of Sweden’s Växjö Lakers and Skellefteå AIK, as well as Czechia’s Sparta Prague and Dynamo Pardubice – could see the Steelers go even deeper in this competition.

No British team has ever gone beyond the round of 16 in the CHL. You would not bet against this Steelers team breaking the mould again.

To do that, there is the small matter of getting past a Berlin team which has won the German DEL championship three times in the last four years and, even at this early stage of their domestic campaign, looks like it will take some stopping to make it four in five.

Just to add a little spice to the narrative, they also have former Steelers’ apprentice and 2018 NHL Draft pick by the Arizona Coyotes, Liam Kirk, in their ranks.

Last week saw Kirk back home to visit family and friends given the DEL was put on hold for the latest international break, a luxury not afforded to the Steelers and their Elite League rivals.

Instead, Fox’s team – bolstered by Tuesday’s signing of Canadian forward Maxim Golod and the weekend arrival of Finnish defenceman Veeti Vainio – go into tonight’s first leg encounter on the back of two gruelling workouts against Nottingham Panthers and Belfast Giants.

They may have won both games, but it was extra toll on the bodies they could have done without ahead of such a milestone game in the team’s history.

For many, coming out on top at the end of the EIHL regular season campaign remains the priority - it always has in British hockey.

The CHL has proved an entertaining diversion which just happens to have brought out some of the best Steelers’ performances ever seen during Fox’s five years at the helm.

They will need similar displays to become the first British team to make it to the quarter-finals.

If anything, head coach Fox, who led the team to a memorable grand slam last season, is playing down the importance of the occasion, a ploy which may ease any pressure he players may be feeling ahead of face-off.

“No, I don’t think so,” says Fox when asked if the game was the biggest in the organisation’s history. “It’s obviously a very big game for us, but those trophy games and the work we put in for the Elite League – if you’re looking at it from us being in a place that the club has never been, potentially, we know how much fun it is right now and how it would look to be such an important game.

“But, realistically, we came into this competition as a team that everybody was writing off and nobody was giving us a chance in the group stage.

“But now we’re in a great place where we are playing with house money and we’ll take what we can get.

“It will be a fun, exciting night but I don’t think there is a ton of pressure on us at all.

“But I also think that guys have come into the CHL with a little something to prove and have wanted to play their best against some of the top teams in Europe.

“I think you’ll see that again on Wednesday - we’ll be a team that is ready to play and, hopefully, that is good enough.”

For years in the Elite League the Steelers have always been the team for others to beat, none more so now they are grand slam winners.

Their time in the CHL has allowed them to enjoy the underdog status for a change. Rob Dowd, the current Steelers’ captain, was around the first time the team entered the competition, emerging with just the one win from two campaigns under Paul Thompson between 2015-17.

It has been a far different feel this time around for Dowd and Cole Shudra, the only two remaining members of the Steelers roster that found it such tough going eight years ago.

“We’ve enjoyed being the underdog and trying to play up to these powerhouses of Europe,” said Dowd. “It’s been enjoyable to match up against those teams and surprising a few people in the process.

“The last time we were in the CHL, results didn’t go as well - it was a lot more of a struggle.

“Berlin are obviously a powerhouse of the DEL - they won it all last year in the play-offs and they’ve signed a very good team this year, too - including Kirky, obviously.

“Again, it’s a different style of hockey that we’ll be up against and we’ll have to see how well we match up against them.

“But I think how we’ve done this season in Europe speaks massively to the growth of the Elite League and how that has improved from top to bottom.

“The quality on the ice in the EIHL is exceptional at the moment and it is showing when we’re playing against some of the top teams in Europe.”