Welcome to this week's preview of the games ahead. It's a hectic one.
After the "interesting" game against the Giants and the subsequent fall out from it, Steelers face three games in as many nights. Two are against the same opponent, and one is another potential banana skin on the road. Can they put the Belfast loss behind them and get back on an even keel? Well, we would like to hope so wouldn't we?
Tomorrow night, Friday, and Sunday back in Sheffield albeit in the en-suite that is otherwise known as Ice Sheffield - the Steelers take on this merry bunch:
Yes it's our purple friends from the West Coast of Scotland, the Clan. The teams have already played each other in the Challenge Cup at the Arena, yes I'm still trying to get the logic around this particular group make up, with us taking the spoils 3-2 thanks to Andreas Valdix's game winner in the final seconds of the middle period. Friday night is also a Challenge Cup game, the return game in the group stage. Steelers have however, already qualified for the knockout stages as they possess a 100% record with four wins out of four and are destined to top the group as only the Panthers can catch them on points but Steelers will have the better head-to-head countback. Therefore, it's a bit of a dead rubber game if you want to call it that way.
Because of this, Paul Thompson has already said on record that this game on Friday will be a game to give the younger members of the roster some increased ice-time. Brad Day will start in goal and players like Kieran Brown and Cole Shudra will be given the opportunity to impress and showcase their undoubted talents. A smart decision all round. Andre Deveaux will have had a full week's training under his belt and is also liable to feature as we get him up to match fitness. Colton Fretter will be missing Friday for obvious reasons. Don't be shocked if Clan take the points.
Sunday will be totally as the big guns will be back at Ice Sheffield, Mustukovs back between the pipes etc. It will be a closer encounter than Friday we feel, and probably on similar lines to that in the Arena match up a few weeks ago. Don't forget the Ice Sheffield factor too, and be warned that Braehead have won there a few times in the past. It could be tricky.
Sandwiched in between the Clan matches is a hard road task, a trip to this place:
A visit to "The Auld Barn" beckons and with it, a reunion with former Steeler Russ Moyer. Yet, that's where the pleasantries end. It's a rink that if you are off your game, then you're gonna get punished for it. Fife are capable of beating anyone in their own place, and we need to execute the same game plan that saw us go to Dundee and Edinburgh and skate away with a regulation win. I'm sure that's the way that Thommo would see it too. Another banana skin on the road to swerve and avoid if we want to keep up with the pacesetters. It's not beyond us, we need to have the belief we can take the game away from Fife there and do the job expected. Focus and communication will be paramount.
So what are my predictions? I'm going for a 4-1 loss in Braehead on Friday night and it won't concern me in the slightest if it happened. A win would always be nice but this time it won't happen. As for the Fife game, I reckon we will win 4-2 with an empty netter there after a tough and testing game. Braehead at Ice Sheffield; I'm expecting another 4-2 win for the boys but without the empty netter this time. So four points out of six. How do you see them unfolding?
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