Boozy wedding night led to Sheffield Steelers' pact

At one side of the floor, however, amidst all the booze and revellery, a plan was being thrashed out.

Groom Colton Saucerman, who hours earlier had married his bride Keira, made a pact with fellow professional ice hockey players Daniel Ciampini and Kevin Tansey that they would all play together in season 2023-24.

Thankfully for Steelers, Ciampini was already committing to a second year contract with Sheffield – so his pals, former team mates at HC Innsbruck in Austria, were happy to raise a toast to their first taste of the UK.

Today Steelers confirmed they had got hitched up with Saucerman as they continued their roster rebuild.

Saucerman, who is likely to be one of the vocal characters in the Sheffield line-up, revealed his move to England had been a long-time, long-distance romance.

“I have been talking to Foxy (coach Aaron Fox) over the last couple of years, he’d message me asking me to come play.

“The timing of it never seemed to work out, there were other options, or whatever, but I promised him I would eventually play for him and I am super glad it’s all worked out.”

Referring to the unexpected wedding pact, the 31-year-old from Colorado Springs, USA said: “Ciampini and I are extremely close friends and Tansey was my best man.

“There was a lot of tequila involved on that day in the south of Cancun and apparently we all agreed and all shook hands on the dance floor and said we were going to play together. The deal was done!”

‘Sauce’ is a 5ft 9ins defenceman, a modest height for a hockey player who enjoys the cut and thrust of the sport.

“I don’t play my size; I love the physicality of hockey, if there is a chance to do some fighting I would definitely do that” he said.

“Overall, I consider myself an extremely reliable and passionate payer and I am very entertaining to watch.

“I try to bring it every single game, I can be very offensive, but I also take responsibility as a defender very seriously – I love playing against the best players and shutting them down.

“I am dynamic and when I have a puck on my stick good things tend to happen.”

Fox was relieved to make Saucerman the final blue line summer signing.

“Colton is a high-end two-way defenceman who can log big minutes and play in all situations,” he said.

“He plays with some jam for his size, is a smooth skater, and has high-end hockey IQ.

“Colton will come in and give that group a calming presence and be a guy we will count on to play winning hockey.

“He’s a character piece that will also keep the room light.”

The coach added: “I think the back end is now complete and I love the look of how we will line up, in my own mind I have my combinations sorted but I guess until we all hit the ice for training camp nothing will be decided.”

Saucerman is looking forward to trying out the attractions of Sheffield city centre, although any comparison to Cancun would be a stretch.

“Ciampini explained how everything in the city was super convenient, the apartments were extremely nice and close to the rink and he raved about the food, pubs and the people that he encountered.”