STEELERS fans will get their first chance to see former hero Dan Tessier and Nathan Gillies - the man who replaced him on Dave Matsos' roster - together on Sheffield Arena ice on Sunday.
The pair have already played each other at Nottingham's NIC facility, when Tessier scored 1+1 to help his side take the points.
And it is fair to say Tessier's scorecard has been the more impressive of the two. He has scored two goals and 13 assists in just eight games.
Gillies, a different type of player, wasn't expected to rival Tessier's tally, but he will still be disappointed that he has managed only three assists - and no goals - in 10 matches.
Matsos dearly hopes Gillies can get off the mark either at Belfast Giants tomorrow or at home to Panthers on Sunday.
Talking about Gillies goal drought, Matsos said: "It is one of those things; maybe he is squeezing his stick a little too tight.
"But everybody who was at the rink last Sunday would have seen what 'Gills' brings even if not on the scoresheet.
"He is a very hard-nosed player; he plays the body well.
"As a coach, I don't always gauge how well a guy plays by points on the board; that's not the way it is.
"He brings an edge to our team that I like. He works hard, drives the net hard and is getting scoring chances; they are just not going in.
"They come in bunches and I'd love his to start arriving this weekend."
Matsos says Gillies' confidence remained high.
"He has a pretty strong mind," he said.
"He knows the pressures of playing in Sheffield but is being a man about it; he is taking that responsibility on his own. I have seen the opposite, where a player gets in a slump and goes from bad to worse because they are over-thinking. But Gills is doing all the little things right.
"He is working so hard. You rarely see him break down in our end and he's a guy that finishes his hits - everybody feeds off that, so it will come."
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