IMAGE: Cerys Heslop
The Steelers’ Head Coach said the team “lost the will” to beat the Giants on Sunday night after two losses in the double header this weekend.
The double loss means that the title is out of reach for the Steelers, whose focus now becomes the play-offs.
With a 16-point swing between the Giants and the Steelers, Aaron Fox admitted this weekend’s games were going to be a challenge.
“This season’s a grind,” he said after the game on Sunday, before giving credit to the Giants for their performance on the rink.
“There should have been a fight to put us into the position to claw back into that hockey game. You need more from certain guys. It can’t be the same guys every night.”
Steelers fans on X, formerly Twitter, reacted bitterly to Fox’s management.
“Where’s your passion, accountability and heart, Mr Fox? Can you get the guys up for a 1 goal game? I didn’t see much action from you!” said one user.
Another fan said: “Title firmly going back to Belfast without them really having to lift a finger to earn it.”
The atmosphere was celebratory for the Giants on Sunday night, whose fans look forward to what could be their 11th trophy in eight seasons.
Head Coach Adam Keefe told the Belfast Telegraph: “Everybody was pulling the rope, saying the right things and doing the right things.
“I thought it was a business weekend for them.”
A Giants fan on X called the four-point weekend “massive” for the team, adding: “Sheffield get battered everywhere they go.”
The Steelers now look towards next week’s game against the Nottingham Panthers, who are two points above them in the standings.
