Curtain-raiser will be bittersweet for new Steelers man

As the flag takes its place in the Arena rafters, memories of Steelers' 4-3 win over Cardiff Devils in March 2020 will come flooding back.

For Evan Mosey, playing for the Welsh at the time and now a new Steelers' recruit, it is going to be a jarring experience.

It won't be much fun, either, for the Devils, who as fate would have it, are Sheffield' s EIHL opponents that evening.

"The Cup final against Sheffield was a real heart-breaker" the skater admitted.

"And soon I am going to have to watch the banner getting raised, which is going to be even more heart-breaking!"

But the American-born utility man - who qualifies to play for Great Britain as his father was born in Leeds - said worldwide events helped him recover from the disappointment of losing that single game.

"Obviously I was bummed about the result but that was when Corona was hitting really hard and you have to forget about it and put things into perspective.

"Hockey was not the most important thing when you saw what was going on in the world."

Mosey played 52 times for Cardiff and chalked up 158 appearances for Nottingham Panthers, who will be playing Steelers in an exhibition away and home weekend (Sept 18-19.)

He has fond memories of his times with both clubs.

"I enjoyed my time in Cardiff and Nottingham and no one knows what happens in the future. But to be able to win trophies on both those teams was great and I have no bad things to say about players coaches and staff.

"On the other hand, for sure, I am looking forward to playing against them, it was a nice treat to highlight those on the schedule for this year!"

Mosey had discussions with both the League rivals before opting to sign for Sheffield coach Aaron Fox.

"Every year you get contacted, obviously by your old teams, it was something you think about and kind of weigh pros and cons.

"For some reason the whole Cardiff thing kind of fell...I would have loved to have gone back but it didn't feel like it used to when Lordo (former head coach Andrew Lord) was there.

"They were making changes and the new coach was coming in and he wanted to bring in his own team," said the 32-year-old right shot.

"I was talking to Nottingham a little bit and I was thinking about it. But I had played at Nottingham for so long, (three seasons) I wanted something different.

"I talked to Foxy and we clicked pretty well, his coaching style the way he wanted to use me, it all felt comfortable. For me, it was a no-brainer to sign in Sheffield.

"He was telling me how strong he felt the team was going to be and that really interested me."