After Saturday comes Sunday, and hockey night once more in the House Of Steel. Our visitors are the Belfast Giants who will be hoping to improve on their record here this season. Steelers have won both Arena encounters, and in regulation too - scoring eight goals whilst conceding two. This promises to be another tough examination of each sides' character.
Giants have a very good squad at their disposal and in two former Steelers, Colin Shields and Mike Forney, they have guys capable of running the show and winning them the points. Shields is one definitely to look out for as he always seems to chip with something against, is it a point to prove against the Club that he had an ill-fated spell for? One can only contemplate and make one's own judgement on that.
But it's not at all about those two, rookie coach Derrick Walser has probably the best British netminder of his generation at his disposal: Dundonian (that's Dundee to everyone else but me) Stephen Murphy. The 34 year old (he was this age on Friday, so belated birthday wishes to you Stephen) always seems to turn his performances up a notch whenever he faces us and seldom has a bad game. The 6-1 loss in October was mainly down to us being good and taking advantage of a Giants team short of bodies.
We therefore are in for what could be a right humdinger to be honest. Giants come into the Arena off a trip across the Pennines for us in Altrincham, whilst we will have travelled through the night (getting home probably at stupid o'clock) after a tough encounter in Fife. The team that is freshened up the most and wants those two points on offer will win this hockey game between the last two winners of the Monteith Bowl. It will also be a good tune up for the double header weekend in Northern Ireland at the beginning of next month.
So what do Steelers have to do to come out on top on this one? Basically keep the Giants to the outside and have them on the back foot constantly. Messers. Keefe and Lloyd will be antagoiseing anything in an orange shirt, and with Mark Garside included that's a good a third line as you can get in opposition. Play like we know we can play then we can ensure the form at the Arena continues. Like Fife on Saturday, I can see this one too going to overtime - wouldn't be far surprised if it went to penalty shots (despite my heart rate not liking this one little bit) either. That aside, I do think we can come out on top being the optimistic Steeler I try to think I am.
I'm going for us to win this one 3-2 in overtime, and Desy to have a little scrap with Keefe to add a bit more excitement to proceedings. What do you think?
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