The boys are back on the road for Sunday's fixture, and it's to a place which holds as much as bad result memories as the BBT this season. Yes folks, we're off to the SkyDome for the last time in regular season play to face the Coventry Blaze. See what I mean?
In recent weeks Blaze have tailed off, and allowed a little gap to form between themselves and Omar Pacha's Manchester Storm in the race for that all important eighth and final spot for the post season. Blaze know they need to start to find their winning groove once more if they are to stand a chance of trying to retain their grip on the Play-Off trophy which they beat us to last season and proved to be Gerad Adams' last act as the then Steelers Head Coach.
They have proven, alongside Edinburgh, the team that has been a major thorn in our side this season. Out of the 12 points on offer going into Sunday, Chuck Weber's men have garnered 10 of them and this represents a quarter of their entire points tally. This is a frightening stat in itself. Something has to change on Sunday, just like it did on Sunday just gone in Cardiff. Could this be the time that it does? If the game in the BBT is anything to go by, then who knows.
Looking at their roster, it's not that bad and a mystery to see them so low down especially when you have last season's Elite League All-Star goalie: the behemoth known as Brian (Stewart) in between the pipes. But the last game down there must have given Steelers heart that they can come away with the points and that Stewart is beatable as much as any goalie. It was dominated by the Stefan Hogarth show, and also a failure in a shoot out which none of the visiting shooters looked likely to score: Strömberg's miss was a real disaster if you haven't seen it yet.
Blaze will of course fancy their chances, but if Steelers play like they can do (and yes, they have won in the SkyDome this season already) then there is a chance that Thommo's men can come away with the points and boost their chances in the title run-in. A strong road game is what is required, and that means again a solid defensive showing from those on the blue line and taking it to the Blaze on the offensive side of the game. It's a game we can win, we need the same belief that carried us to a regulation win in Cardiff but in the SkyDome. It's certainly not beyond us.
Prediction Time? Expect yet another hard fought game in Warwickshire. I'm going for us to triumph here by 3-2, but it could go beyond 60 minutes easily. The balance will be re-dressed.
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