Double defeat to Belfast Giants has Sheffield Steelers scrambling to keep up in title race

They have 18 regular Elite League games left to rediscover the chemistry and the winning mentality they exhibited earlier in the campaign.

Five of their last six games have been losses.

It's their worst period of the season at a time the Orange Army was hoping it to be their best.

On Friday, they went down 3-5 at Belfast Giants.

On Saturday, they deserved more than the single point they deserved from a shootout loss, at the end of a fascinating and even encounter.

The return to South Yorkshire of Marco Vallerand has and will stimulate more offensive thrust and character.

But Steelers are going to have to do better than recent results have played out.

Much better.

Coach Aaron Fox said: "The results were disappointing but I thought we played hard and physical and competed with play off mindset.

"These were two good hockey teams and we came up short, but we will build off this energy and compete level.

"The fight we had in most of our games over the weekend...we won't lose many games."

Fox added that ice hockey was a game of inches and bounces; "We have to believe in our group, believe that we play in the right way we can win."

He felt Steelers were the best team for 40 minutes on Saturday, while his opposite number Adam Keefe felt his side could have been ahead in the majority of regulation time.

The coaches did agree that Belfast goalie Tyler Beskorowany had a barnstorming evening.

On Saturday, both teams fought out their first of two weekend goalless first periods, workaholic Steelers d-man Kevin Schulze stopping a shot from crossing the goal line.

After two periods, Belfast had outshot Sheffield 23-13, but had found the visitors' defence resolute.

Matt Petgrave and Brendan Connolly threatened to break the deadlock.

And when Conway was the first Giant to be served a penalty, hopes were raised among the sizeable army of away fans.

The game couldn't be decided in 60 minutes though so Matt Petgrave, Scott Allen, and Vallerand started the sudden death overtime.

Efforts from Vallerand, Petgrave, and the outstanding Kristo came close to winning the game, but Beskoworowany was not to be beaten.

In the shootout, Belfast triumphed due to Scott Conway's strike.

*On Friday, Steelers' 2,000th competitive game got off to a bad start, Lewis Hook putting the hosts ahead on seven minutes.

Then with Jonathan Phillips serving a holding penalty, Conway, doubled the Belfast lead.

Fifty seconds after the first interval Kristo shot top shelf on the power play, but Giants forged further ahead with Conway's second.

Steelers hit back again, though, with a Daniel Ciampini effort tipped past Jackson Whistle by Allen.

Vallerand scored his first EHL goal of the season for 3-3...but it didn't alter the course of the match with Ben Lake netting and Conway sealing his hat-trick.

Steelers had been outshot 37-28 and a scrap with seconds to go saw the majority of the 6,014 fans go home content they'd got value for money.

Not so much for Brandon McNally - he picked up an instigator/misconduct penalty and missed Saturday's game.