STEELERS' roster might not contain the fight-hungry fusiliers of some of their Elite League rivals.
But they have shown that no-one will back down when the going gets tough, says coach Dave Matsos.
Three fights that livened up a one-sided Steelers home win at Sheffield Arena on Sunday - featuring Randy Dagenais, Scott Basiuk and Andrew Sharp on the bill - are evidence that his side possesses team-toughness, he says.
And d-man Dagenais earned particular praise from the coach for the way he ploughed into Basingstoke Bison's Curtiss Patrick.
"The Patrick-Dagenais fight started because Jeff Legue had paired off with someone and Patrick came in and gave him a shot and Dagenais didn't see it as fair. Randy had a great fight for us, he did well."
Matsos said Dagenais' all-action style made it difficult to determine whether he is southpaw or orthodox when the gloves are dropped.
"After that fight, nobody can answer the question does the throw lefts for does he throw rights?" said Matsos.
"What's his strong point? He throws half lefts and half rights!
"He is a quality guy who stood up at the right time and the guys were really excited about the effort he put in."
Matsos said he had been confident in the team-building process in the Summer that his relatively small squad would have enough of a mean-streak.
"I never thought we'd lack team toughness. We might not be carrying a Jeremy Cornish type heavyweight but Andrew Sharp was good signing in the summer and I don't think we get bullied."
The appearance of big d-man Steve Munn, still on crutches with a heel wound, at the Arena last Sunday night hinted at a further lengthy absence. But Matsos said: "I just wanted him stood at the bench but without weight on his foot. We are watching him day-by-day, but fingers crossed, he might be back next weekend."
Steelers will certainly need some aggressive edge for the coming weekend. They travel to Belfast Giants on Saturday before hosting Nottingham Panthers, at the Arena, on Sunday. Steelers hope to record easily their biggest crowd of the season so far against their nearest rivals.
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