Eric Neiley is an impact player for Sheffield Steelers again

Steelers' fans are beginning to see the Eric Neiley they know and love.
Eric NeileyEric Neiley
Eric Neiley

The winger had a difficult start at Sheffield this season, after rejoining the club from Milton Keynes Lightning.

Neiley started off on Steelers’ fourth line and, after three games, he tore his hamstring in a training accident.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 27-year-old American has battled hard for the cause since his return and in his last three games, he has notched five points.

At Coventry Blaze on Sunday, he netted his first Steeler brace of the season.

His influence is growing as Sheffield asserts itself in the Play Off scramble.

Coach Tom Barrasso commented that the forward "is finally getting healthy.

Eric NeileyEric Neiley
Eric Neiley
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He was just finding his way and was injured in practice. He missed the better part of two months.

"We see him finding his stride now, he is starting to look comfortable on the ice and that is going to compliment the players he is with."

Barrasso, speaking after Saturday's win over Nottingham Panthers, said his team had some way to go to prove itself.

"We have shown glimpses of being a truly, high-level team but obviously we are not there based on our record.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"And we are what are record says we are, which is a .500 team, so we have got to keep striving and get better than that.

"Our focus moving forward is to try and win every period we play, if we lose a period then we have to come back and win the next one."

After Sudnay's Blaze road win, Barrasso (now with a .511 record) said he was happy with the first 40 minutes of the performance and, overall, the team had performed in a solid fashion throughout the weekend.

He said the team had to repeat that over the next seven weeks.

In an odd quirk of the fixture list, Steelers play Notingham and Coventry again, this coming weekend, both games are away.