Dave Simms on Steelers: Why there's no room for error in title bid and this weekend IS about revenge!

Victories at home on Saturday against Fife and in Guildford 24 hours later must be achieved if this Sheffield side is going to take the title race to that final game show down with Cardiff on the last weekend of the year.

After four straight defeats we got our Steelers back last weekend with two dominant performances over Nottingham and Belfast. They were dominant as well, out skating, out working and out playing two very good sides.

Big John Armstrong moved onto the Vallerand Connolly line and impressed all weekend. “He brings a lot of puck poise to our unit,” said Vallerand. “He keeps pucks alive and then makes those extra plays. We only had one week together in practice but I think we had a pretty good weekend.”

Don’t feel too sorry for the man Armstrong replaced on that top unit, Anthony DeLuca didn’t sulk, he just teamed up with Michael Davies and Lucas Sandstrom and had a five-point weekend.

I don’t know why but I would have never thought of pairing DeLuca with Sandstrom but Aaron Fox did and it heaped huge rewards. The line was outstanding on both nights, Sandy grabbing two in Nottingham and DeLuca the same on Sunday against the Giants. Davies is a nice glue on that unit, I like it.

Every game from now in is a game 7, an ultimate one-off game.

The work the Steelers have done since September has given them a sniff. Sure, results a couple of weeks ago have certainly given the Devils the edge but Sheffield and Cardiff still have to face each other twice and the final destination of that league title could rest on those games.

If, and it is a big if, the Steelers can continue with the form they showed last weekend for the next few league performances then anything is possible.

I loved how this week Marco Vallerand said that Saturday’s game against Fife wasn’t “just another game” and that the team had “revenge” on their mind going in. I love a bit of revenge, it’s an under used word in these soft soap days we live in.

Fife blooded our noses badly two weeks ago, they beat us on the ice, they took the points off us and then mimicked us after the game – too right we need revenge on Saturday.

We are a week away from the Cup Final, a week away from the biggest league game imaginable two days earlier – both in Cardiff. These are the games that everyone wants to play in. They don’t want to be sat in the stands.

Sat there right now are Jonas Lewing and James Bettauer. Those two practise every day, work hard and are just waiting to get back in the line up. Those in the line up know that, they can see them and for them to play in those two huge games next week they have to perform this week. They have to give the coaches no choice but to remain with them.

It’s going to be an interesting weekend with many stories coming out of it after these games.

The Steelers are close to breaking the attendance record in the Elite League era, 207,000, that was our attendance last year. 6700 this Saturday and we hit the 200,000 fans through the door this season mark.

People used to talk about the “Good Old days in the 90ss” and the big crowds.

Folks, these are the “Good Old days” of tomorrow and they are happening right now in front of your nose.

So, get your self down to the Arena on Saturday and enjoy it, enjoy us, enjoy the Sheffield Steelers. 7pm face off, doors open at 6, tickets 0114 256 5566