'No pressure' - Aaron Fox hails Adam Rockwood after Sheffield Steelers' shoot-out success
Adam Rockwood was the Sheffield Steelers shootour hero against Guildford Flames
Sheffield Steelers head coach Aaron Fox hailed Adam Rockwood's composure and intelligence after the forward scored twice in a dramatic penalty shootout to secure a 4-3 Challenge Cup victory over Guildford Flames.
With the teams locked at 3-3 following regulation time and overtime, Rockwood stepped up to deliver two clinical finishes, including the sudden-death winner that sent the Utilita Arena crowd into celebration.
The Steelers forward had already beaten Guildford goaltender Brad Arvanitis with his opening attempt before being handed the opportunity to settle the contest after Matt Greenfield denied Josh Waller.
And with the pressure firmly on his shoulders, Rockwood showed remarkable composure to repeat his earlier finish, sliding the puck beneath Arvanitis to complete a memorable comeback victory.
Fox was full of praise for the forward, highlighting his ability to remain calm and make the right decisions in high-pressure situations.
"Two big goals there from him, no doubt. Huge, just huge," said the Steelers coach.
"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."
Rockwood's heroics came at the end of an extraordinary encounter in which Sheffield recovered from a 2-0 deficit after forty minutes.
Goals from Tim Gettinger and Brandon Whistle hauled the Steelers level before Guildford's Cole Sanford restored the visitors' advantage.
Olivier Archambault then struck to force overtime, with Sheffield successfully killing a crucial penalty before the contest was decided by penalty shots.
Rockwood wasn't the only Steelers player to impress in the shootout, with Finnish forward Mikko Juusola producing an excellent finish into the top corner.
Greenfield also played a decisive role, denying Waller in sudden death to give Rockwood the opportunity to claim the extra point.
"Good to see Rock finish it off for us there," added Fox. "Mikko with a big goal in the penalty shots as well."
The victory was especially important following Sheffield's disappointing defeat in Nottingham the previous evening, when the Steelers surrendered a late lead against the Panthers.
Fox believes the two points against Guildford could prove significant in his side's pursuit of Challenge Cup silverware.
"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," he explained.
"It was a good path forward for us tonight."