Sheffield Steelers must find a way to squeeze the puck past this man

The stopper from Salt Lake City broke Steelers' heart on Sunday with a wonderful display that enabled Cardiff Devils to take two points away from Sheffield Arena.

Sheffield popped 46 shots on the American netminder but had to watch the 6ft 2ins craftsman divert or catch the puck time after time.

Every so often, you have to take your hat off to an opponent, and Steelers' coach Aaron Fox did that after a 3-2 shoot-out loss which now means Sheffield cling on to the top spot by two points, with a single game in hand over Belfast Giants.

"He played a heck of a hockey game," said Fox, who felt his side were the better of the two.

Some obvious chances had been missed but Carruth had "made some good saves" he added.

On one Sheffield power play in the second period, the 51-game AHL goaltender collected two well-driven pucks into his glove as if it was a relaxed training session.

His confidence spread across Cardiff's ranks. Just as it had in November when he shut out Steelers in a 0-5 home drubbing.

Steelers now have to quickly find a way to do better against him, the clubs meet again on Wednesday in the Challenge Cup semi final.

It will be interesting to see whether the attendance can go some way towards matching the tremendous 8,061 figure reached for Sunday's regular EIHL meeting.

"I think we did a lot of good things which we can build on," said Fox.

Meanwhile, centreman Justin Hodgman has paid tribute to Fox's man-management style.

He said the team boss knew when and how to address his experienced team at crisis times - and when not to.

"He knows when to step back and trust the team to sort things out," he said.

Hodgman added that Fox's normal style was not to "jump on you, yelling" when the side needed to step up a gear.

"The 'my-way or highway' culture has gone out of the window."

Fox and modern coaches set out a structure but players were not robots and could adjust to circumstances.

Hodgman confirmed to the American 'Lindroth Hockey Podcast' that this season is likely to be his last as a player: "It is time for me just to be a dad."

He also admitted he didn't enjoy taking part in the "Eddie" individual celebration that players perform at the Arena after a win, finding it a "terrible anxiety" and "extremely stressful."

But he said the Sheffield dressing room was "the best I have ever been part of."

Asked who his favourite linemates were, he said it was a tough question because the team was so deep.

But he plumped for Matias Sointu, Tanner Eberle, and Martin Latal.

Latal was "the fastest player I've ever played with, he can fly. He's a roadrunner."

Of goaltenders Barry Brust and Rok Stojanovic he said: "They are both number ones. We are extremely lucky they are a huge benefit for us."

It had been a while since he had played for a club in which expectations were so high.

Hodgman also added that the fact so many imports had stayed at the club for several years was an element in his thinking before signing on.

"That screams good things and is one of the reasons why they have been so successful."

As for the backing of the Arena supporters: "I had no idea it was this good. If this is my last year I am extremely grateful to have played in front of this fan base."

They were knowledgeable as well as passionate, he told the podcast.

He and the team want to reward them with trophies, he said. But he issued a word of caution: "Everybody tries to take down the guys at the top."