Massive turnaround needed if Sheffield Steelers are to lift the EIHL title

With important players out of the line-up with a winter bug, Sheffield took a lead, lost it, and never got back into it against a seventh-placed opponent.

When the final hooter sounded on a 3-1 loss, the EIHL title seemed a long, long way away. As does their next goal.

Coach Aaron Fox admitted: "We are having a tough time scoring goals right now obviously.

"We had 47 shots one goal, 50 shots on Sunday, zero goals in regulation up in Fife there. We need our best players to be our best players right now and we cannot expect our goalie to win us every hockey game."I know things go hot and cold during the season but this is a bad time for us to not be finding the back of the net. Thirteen games left - we need to get this sorted real quickly, this is a tough run we are on."

Steelers loosening grip on the league trophy wasn't just about the midweek defeat in Manchester of course.

Since an 11-match winning streak ended on January 5, Aaron Fox's men have lost more than half of their next 15. The championship is not over yet and there is some battling still to do in the last 13 league games.

However, when the ashes had settled, Sheffield had dropped from third to fourth place (Cardiff Devils surged ahead on the back of a 5-1 destruction of Glasgow Clan.) Steelers are four points adrift of league leaders Belfast Giants.

On Wednesday night, Daniel Ciampini, who had scored four goals in previous games in Altrincham this term, was back from illness.

Illness victims Brandon Whistle and Robert Dowd were out for the first time this campaign though and so was Martin Latal, who had only been absent in one previous game. Tomáš Pitule and Marco Vallerand were on the team sheet, despite feeling rough.Vallerand hit the post during a breakaway early on and Sheffield got the goal their early drive deserved from Pitule.

Alex Graham hadn't iced for Steelers since January 5 and he took the chance to impress with his assist at 3:04.

Storm's top goal scorer Anthony DeLuca had a couple of opportunities against his old club and Scott Allen's hooking call saw Tyson Fawcett bungle their best power play chance. But Storm were getting stronger with every shift and Matt Greenfield was beaten twice in four minutes as Storm wrestled the initiative in their favour.

First Stephen Johnson netted from close range and then Cameron Critchlow got on the board at 31:59.

A well-timed Matt Petgrave interception stopped the possibility of more damage on a Manchester breakaway.

After a 0-2 middle period, and starting the last session on the penalty kill, Sheffield had it all to do.

Instead, they took a fatal hit, on 42 minutes, as Storm's Canadian forward Johnson, who only left University hockey in 2020, nabbed his second of the evening. Brett Neumann and Danny Kristo tried vainly to turn the heat up on the Storm's rearguard.

The desperation of pulling goalie Greenfield in the final moments couldn't deliver a goal as Storm defended with courage and solidarity.

Steelers have scored two goals in 180 minutes in regulation...and now time is running out on their dream of winning the sport's main prize.