Steelers hit the high road this weekend for a couple of games on the road. It's a couple of games that we could win comfortably, squeak home or dare I say it - lose. These could be defining moments already this season and we are only in the tenth weekend of the season. Games are coming thick and fast, and wins are needed to be garnered especially when on the road.
Let's look ahead to them then:
Saturday night, and probably in one of the coldest barns you will ever experience - we go to visit these guys:
Yes, we visit the Edinburgh Capitals. Less than 24 hours before we do though, they face top of the table Cardiff and on home ice too. God knows what it might have taken out of them but that's out of the equation, whatever Caps do against the Devils is their own business. We are bound to be fresh despite the lengthy travel and are capable of our own destiny. The Caps are improved on last season, but are frighteningly inconsistent.
Steelers will give a debut to new Swedish centre Yared Hagos, but are definitely without defenceman Zack Fitzgerald as he serves game one of his controversial, in mine and others eyes, two match ban. There's been no news on Andreas Valdix who missed both Coventry games, and we don't know if skipper Jonathan Phillips will ice after missing the 6-1 road win in the SkyDome through injury either. We might have to grind out a win there as opposed to blowing them away, and sometimes that's what you gotta do get the points on the board.
Sunday night, we go to another difficult barn and a place where we have had mixed success in the past. We're going to face this chaps:
It's a reunion with old Furby, Marc LeFebvre, again. It's also a much changed Dundee Stars roster this season from last season. Gone are Bobby Chaumont and Doug Clarkson for example, and arriving are Vinny Scarsella (who impressed me at Manchester last season) and that rink rat of a character, Cale Tanaka from the Coventry Blaze. Former Braehead and Coventry defenceman Craig Cescon provides size and presence from the blue line whilst former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Joe Fallon is between the pipes.
Fitzy sits out his second game of his ban, and as said before - we might need to get a greasy win in a difficult place to play in. Defence will be key both games. Stars, despite their low league standings, are not a team we can expect to roll over and hold the white flag up. I hope both Liam Kirk and Cole Shudra make the trip, as this will continue their development. It also adds to the depth we have to the match roster, rather than being short benched as some teams would be.
Prediction Time: Steelers to win 3-2 in Murrayfield after overtime, but to slip to a 4-3 overtime defeat in Tayside. It's going to be a close run weekend.
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