Sheffield Steelers new boys learn what Aaron Fox simply won't accept

It always takes a while for new recruits to gel with existing players and understand and apply the boss's game plans and philosophies.

But what a coach cannot accept is when their players are not working hard enough.

That's abhorrent and has to be corrected.

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And that was the situation Sheffield Steelers' coach Aaron Fox found himself in on Sunday in the first 20 minutes at Coventry Blaze.

Whatever words he delivered in the first-period break worked, transforming a 0-2 deficit to 2-2.

However, Steelers could not go on and finish the job, ending up 2-4 losers.

Fox will only want to see diligent and tireless effort when Sheffield opens up their EIHL programme at home on Saturday, against Cardiff Devils.

Looking back to the Blaze game, Fox said: "I didn't like our effort in the first, I felt like they outworked us in that period and we weren't ready to play.

"We answered in the second period, but it was frustrating, we outshot them 43-21 in that hockey game so it was not like getting 10 shots a game, we were creating offence just having a hard time finding the back of the net."

So shot precision is another important going forward, they have only scored three times in the last 120 minutes.

"To be fair the exhibition pre-season did us well," said the coach.

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"There are 13 new guys who are new to the league, they have not seen arenas like Coventry and Manchester before, they are very small, things happen very quickly, seeing those rinks was good for us as they know what to expect, now.

"And our second period at Coventry was the best we played all pre-season we outshot them 22-3, probably should have had four or five... and didn't. In the third, there was a lack of discipline and we were chasing the game a bit."

This week is all about bedding systems in and finding the right mix.

Fox admits he is not "fully comfortable with the chemistry right now."

But he said that, in itself, was not abnormal after a two-week training camp.

"There is a reason why Russian teams have seven weeks, and the German teams five weeks, it takes a while to get everyone into a rhythm and playing the same way.

"Guys are figuring out which piece they play in certain situations and it needs everybody to get on board and find that buy-in,

"We are now having a good full week watching video and hammering home what we are trying to do."