How Sheffield Steelers admire 'the Giant' amongst British ice hockey players

Sometimes you have to look at a player on a rival team and admit: He is simply the best.
Scott Conway punishes SheffieldScott Conway punishes Sheffield
Scott Conway punishes Sheffield

In the past, Sheffield Steelers'management would privately drool over the likes of Joey Martin, the immaculate forward who has just re-signed for his eighth season as a Cardiff Devils' asset.

What Paul Thompson and his assistant coach Jerry Andersson admired about Martin, now 34, is similar to what the modern-day South Yorkshire club feels about Scott Conway.

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The Belfast Giants' man was 11 points ahead of his nearest competitor in EIHL league play last season.

Conway celebrates a goal against SheffieldConway celebrates a goal against Sheffield
Conway celebrates a goal against Sheffield

The division's leading goalscorer tormented Sheffield in just about every game the pair met in.

He scored a hat-trick in a 5-3 win over Steelers in January and three points in an 8-2 humbling in March.

In the other four games, the EIHL Player Of The Year helped himself to five points.

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"Scott Conway was head and shoulders the top (points-taker) in the league this year, even second place (Daniel Tedesco; Guildford Flames) was quite a way from him" acknowledged Sheffield asst coach Carter Beston-Will.

Aaron Fox and Carter Beston-WillAaron Fox and Carter Beston-Will
Aaron Fox and Carter Beston-Will

Belfast scored 41 more goals than Sheffield and part of that margin was down to the 28-year-old who was born in Basingstoke but developed in America, under the watchful eye of his dad Kevin, a one-time star at Durham Wasps, Cleveland Bombers, and Basingstoke Bison.

Beston-Will said: "Conway was other-worldly this year, he is a hard guy to shut down.

"Belfast had the best player in the league which obviously helps in offence."

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Conway is triggering interest among teams in the Czech Republic and Norway, so Sheffield might not have to contend with him next year.

But Sheffield are certainly going to have to up their own scoring rate.

Beston-Will says the team was doing well offensively for much of last season but "goals started drying up around February time, and when pucks are not going in, for whatever reason, you lose confidence.

"Guys start going against their muscle memory and knee-jerk reaction when they are alone in the slot because it hasn't been going in for them.

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"I think it was a big confidence thing our team ran into when games weren't going our way.

"We were righting the ship near the end but that dry spell and the Fife (Flyers) semi-final loss really hurt us, from there we started gripping the stick."

The coach acknowledged that a lack of ruthlessness was costly.

"Our problem was not putting games away when we had the chance. We didn't succeed in key moments.

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"We could have third-period leads, we'd be up one or two and had a chance to make it three, but we didn't take it and let teams stick around.

"This is a cliche but sometimes it is a game of inches and unfortunately we ended on the wrong side of the bounces rather than the right side.

"We needed a killer instinct.

"We have the pieces to build off and I think Foxy (head coach Aaron Fox) is a fantastic recruiter and is more than capable of finding those pieces to fit around the core group and get us over the line."