Sheffield Steelers players are frustrated with league position: "We want to come first"

That’s the promise of defenceman Davey Phillips, speaking ahead of difficult weekend games against Belfast Giants and Fife Flyers, both of whom are ahead of Sheffield in the League table.

Phillips and his team-mates were victims of a shut-out defeat to Cardiff Devils last Wednesday - latest evidence of Steelers struggling against teams above them.

Some fans have taking out their frustration on social media. But Phillips said: “Teams are strengthening everywhere, Manchester are spending money...all these teams are doing well.

“It’s not just a case of Sheffield and Nottingham are going to win everything every year any more.

"Fife are doing well, you have to give credit to the other teams for improving.”

Of his own team, he says: “Everyone wants to win. This is why we play the sport, we don’t just play to compete, we want to come first, so we are not just happy just making up the numbers.

"Everybody is disappointed but that’s sport.

“Sometimes you can’t win everything but we are going to keep plugging away.”

Phillips accepts that his club has some catching up to do, in relation to leaders Cardiff.

"We play them a few more times so, they are must-win games as well...try and claw the gap back.”

The team would keep going until it’s mathematically impossible to win, he said.

The d-man felt Steelers should have done better obscuring the view of Cardiff goalie Ben Bowns, in midweek.

“The key against them is you’ve got to get some traffic in front” he said.

“Bowns is a good goalie, they (Devils) have got some big strong ‘D’ and they all block shots, so it’s not only getting it to Bowns it’s past their guys blocking the shots.

“Making it difficult for Bowns to see by getting some traffic in front of him and it might actually come off a shin pad or a greasy rebound but I think we could definitely do with a bit more net traffic.”