Sheffield Steelers put the party on hold as they strive to make 2023-24 Elite League campaign even more special

But, all too quickly perhaps, the celebrations have been put on hold again for Aaron Fox and his team as they turn their attention to the real business end of the season.

Winning the Challenge Cup, the second time in five years under Fox, is a notable achievement – particularly having gone through the competition unbeaten. But it is the Elite League regular season title that remains the main prize.

The Steelers head into a weekend heralding a home game against Nottingham Panthers before being sent to Coventry Blaze for a final time this year in an exceptional position - currently sitting 11 points clear of second-placed Cardiff Devils with just 10 games remaining.

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They have been in promising positions for the most coveted crown in each of the past two seasons only – as Fox readily admits – to come up short.

Last year, the Belfast Giants conquered all before them to win the treble of league, play-offs and Challenge Cup. The Steelers want to emulate that achievement. With this team, you wouldn’t bet against them.

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On Wednesday night in front of a packed Utilita Arena – the vast majority of fans of an orange persuasion - the Steelers may have been under the cosh at times against final opponents Guildford Flames, but there remained an air of inevitability about the result once Mitchell Balmas’ tip-in off Brien Diffley put them 3-1 ahead in the 25th minute.

Out-shot two-to-on they may have been and forced to defend desperately at times – particularly in the third period as the Flames pushed and pushed - but Steelers never buckled. Now, they need to finish the job they started back at the end of September, when all three trophies were the target.

Such a lofty aim might seem fanciful for most of the 10 teams in the EIHL, but the Steelers are one of the handful for who it is a realistic proposition and they are the only team to have shown the consistency needed to put themselves out front in pole position – and by some distance.

Three of their seven league losses have come in the last six games. For some that might suggest some kind of a wobble.

Speaking after their Cup triumph, though, it seems getting their hands on one trophy has only fuelled the desire among the players to repeat that experience in the coming weeks.

“A lot of the guys didn’t know quite what to expect when you lifted a trophy here,” said captain Robert Dowd. “A lot of them were coming up to me afterwards and telling me that they couldn’t believe what it was like after the game and what it was like to play in that kind of game and how special it was to lift a trophy.

“So it will fuel the fire in guys’ bellies to lift more trophies this season. Some of them hadn’t won a trophy before and most of them hadn’t experienced this sort of thing, even when they’d won in other places, compared to winning in a sold-out 9,000-seater stadium was obviously something special.”

After a day off on Thursday, the Steelers were back at it on Friday for their regular morning practice.

While Dowd would have preferred more time to celebrate the club’s latest success, he is determined to ensure his team gets over the line to clinch what would be a first league title since 2016.

“It’s the business we’re in,” he added. “It would have been nice to take a couple of days off but we have to be professional – we’ve got a job to do. We’ve got a room full of professionals.

"Everybody knows what needs to be done. We can drink and celebrate as much as we want in a couple of months’ time.

“We’ve got a few weeks now of getting our heads down and working hard – and that is absolutely fine with all of us. We’ve put ourselves in a great position – but there is still a lot of hockey to play.”

On tasting success as the team’s captain for the first time – he succeeded Jonathan Phillips last summer – Dowd will have been on an understandable high.

He was part of the Steelers’ team that lost a Challenge Cup final at Sheffield Arena back in 2015. He wants to celebrate on home ice again before the season is done.

“It was special, just so special,” said Dowd on lifting the trophy. “Those are the type of memories that you take with you forever, things like that you will never forget.

“In all my years, I’ve been very lucky in my time as a player to lift many trophies, but that could be the loudest I have ever heard that building. It was ear-piercingly loud at times – just brilliant.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​