Great Steelers Fight Back Please the Coach
Aaron Fox hailed his Sheffield Steelers side’s character and determination after Sunday’s thrilling 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Guildford Flames, with Adam Rockwood proving the hero in a dramatic finish at the Utilita Arena.
Trailing 2-0 after forty minutes, and then falling behind again in the third period, the Steelers twice fought back to force overtime before Rockwood scored twice in the penalty shootout to secure two valuable Challenge Cup points.
And after Saturday night’s heartbreaking defeat in Nottingham, Fox was delighted to see his players respond.
“I feel a little better about it right now than I did thirty minutes ago, that’s for sure,” admitted the Steelers head coach.
“I actually liked our first period tonight. We gave up one shot and I think we had eight and a half minutes of offensive-zone time.
“We were too perimeter for sure, weren’t direct enough and passed up on some opportunities.”
Third-Period Character Delights Fox
Fox admitted his side struggled after Guildford took control during the second period, suggesting that setbacks are currently affecting the team’s confidence.
“It feels almost like a balloon letting air out of it,” he explained.
“It feels like the guys are deflated and feel like things are against them when things go wrong right now.”
But the response in the final twenty minutes was exactly what Fox had been looking for.
Goals from Tim Gettinger and Brandon Whistle brought Sheffield level before Cole Sanford restored Guildford’s advantage.
Olivier Archambault then struck to make it 3-3, setting up the dramatic finish.
“Credit to them. In the third they came out and played to an identity,” said Fox.
“They played fast, played physical and they played desperate.
“You could just feel, shift after shift, that they felt like it was coming.
“Credit to our group. I think tonight we showed some character and some grit, and some desperation.
“To get that third one was huge, and then we had a big kill in overtime.”
Rockwood Shows Nerves of Steel
With neither side able to find a winner in overtime, it was left to the penalty shootout to separate the teams.
Rockwood converted Sheffield’s opening attempt, while Mikko Juusola also produced a superb finish.
Then, with Matt Greenfield denying Guildford’s Josh Waller in sudden death, Rockwood stepped up again and calmly slotted home the winning penalty shot.
Fox was full of praise for his forward’s composure.
“Two big goals there from him, no doubt. Huge, just huge,” he said.
“He’s a bit of a cerebral player that way. That’s one of the aspects of his game that I think he’s excelled at.
“He looked good on it. No pressure, didn’t feel any pressure, and two big goals.”
Two Huge Challenge Cup Points
The victory provided an important response to Saturday’s defeat in Nottingham and strengthened Sheffield’s ambitions of progressing in the Challenge Cup.
“One of our goals was to make sure we’re in the top two and advance to the semi-final to give ourselves a chance at this cup,” Fox explained.
“It was a good path forward for us tonight.”
For Fox, there are still areas to improve, but the determination shown by his players and Rockwood’s ice-cool finishing ensured the Steelers ended the weekend with a victory to celebrate.
Final Score: Sheffield Steelers 4-3 Guildford Flames (after penalty shootout)