Dogged Sheffield Steelers hoping to continue strong rearguard action despite personnel changes

Sheffield have been without Sébastien Piché (paternity) and will now lose Davy Phillips (suspension) for the games against Nottingham Panthers and Guildford Flames. However, Piche is back in the camp and Brendan Connolly will again offer his blueline services if needed.

Steelers lead the league in goals-against and they want to continue that defensive stinginess in the Challenge Cup game on Saturday before taking on the league leaders in the regular competition.

"It will be great to have Piche back," said coach Aaron Fox. "Obviously, he's got an absolute bomb (shot) and was playing some really good hockey before he went away."

He said the player was excited to "get back and rolling." As for Connolly, Fox was fulsome in his praise for the makeshift defenceman.

"He played 'D' growing up in junior for a couple of years (in Canada) then moved to forward. He is a very responsible player and sees the game very well. I loved his game all weekend, I felt the puck was on his stick more in those two games than the looks he has been getting in last couple of weeks as a forward.

"I think that it will also build his confidence in his game whether or not we need him back there or move him back up."

The coach said he and Connolly had discussed the possibility of him playing on the blueline, last week: "He was absolutely up for the idea."

Fox said you never know exactly how such a move would work out but the skater had made a great contribution. Sheffield's defence, generally, has seen some consistent performances, none more than from Niklas Nevalainen and Matt Petgrave, who are both a team-leading +15 in the plus-minus stakes.

And Matt Greenfield's heroics in goal - he's recorded an average 94.40 per cent saves – have become almost the norm.

Meanwhile, Sheffield Steeldogs have retired former coach Andre Payette's number seven shirt after the 46-year-old's tragic death in Canada. The British Colombia Coroners Service says its investigation into the death is "currently ongoing."