Regrets - I have a few, says Sheffield Steelers' coach

Excellent away from home, disappointing at home.

Top of the league in January, now lying in third and five points behind the EIHL leaders Belfast Giants with just four games left.

A team filled with promise, but one with an Achilles heel... a jarring lack of consistency.

This is the story of Sheffield Steelers' fast-fading regular season.

They have been a side brimming with offensive potential yet have scored 26 goals fewer than championship favourites Belfast Giants.

They are an experienced outfit that can win three times at second-place Guildford Flames, but then lose three times at home to them, including Sunday's 4-5 overtime defeat.

They have skaters that pulled off an 11-game streak of victories but then end up on the losing side 10 times in the next 17.

As a club, they have endured the usual round of injuries, but the ownership has always splashed out on replacements.

The contradictions are there for all to see.

And in the league realm, it seems too late to fix them.

Would winning the post-season play off series make up for seemingly flopping in the second half of the league programme?

Well, partly.

But in terms of future recruitment Steelers may feel they are going to have to do better to build a league championship class of 2023-24.

Coach Aaron Fox didn't shirk the shortcomings in an interview after Sunday's loss, a game in which he felt they played well, but probably had the final nail bashed into their title coffin.

Asked if the championship party was over he told The Star: "Yeah, realistically it is not very likely that we will be able to find a way, here, unless we got some serious help.

"It looks very unlikely, that's for sure.

"I thought we played very good hockey. Guildford are a very good team, they have been a top side all year long.

"They are fast, they are really good in transition, you have to be ready to defend.

"I thought we were very, very good but not good enough to get us that extra point."

Did he have regrets?

"You are going to find games and little stretches of hockey where it probably ended up costing you the trophy" Fox replied.

He said the Belfast games alone represented their issues.

In one game in Belfast, the teams were level with minutes to go and his side missed two grade chances and Giants hit back and scored. "That was a four-point swing right there."

If Sheffield had played like they were capable of in the recent home game with Belfast "we win that hockey game too."

As for the home game issues, he said: "Form down the stretch has not been great...fifth in the league at home and first on the road...that was obviously detrimental to our chances."