Tanner Eberle's sporting gesture to Sheffield Steelers' team-mate

The Sheffield Steeler has had to endure a difficult season because of a lower-body issue that he is still trying to completely conquer.

Two years ago his amazing +30 put him ahead of anybody else in the EIHL in a statistic used to measure a player's impact on the game in terms of the difference between their own team's scoring against their opponent's when a skater is on the ice.

Eberle is currently joint ninth in the team's +/- list, with a creditable +5.

Top of the tree is play-anywhere Evan Mosey, with +24 in 28 games. He's followed by Marco Vallerand (+22.)

Eberle, whose precise injury problem is not being released, said it had been "very frustrating.

"It seems like an on-going issue, I miss four games come back miss another four, it's been tough.

"I have never really experienced this type of injury before but hopefully I can keep working on it and stay healthy for the rest of the season."

Eberle said a rest from midweek action, this week, will give him chance to manage the problem, with a mixture of rest and the right type of exercise and training.

"I think I am good now" he said, admitting he'd struggled in recent games against Dundee Stars and Glasgow Clan

He said he'd been challenged by: "Just little things like the pace of play, how fast things happen and I felt a little out of shape."

On the plus-minus front, the 28-year-old said it didn't worry him too much to be down the stats list.

"Two years ago I know I led it in the League; (now) it is what it is.

"I don't think I have been bad defensively by any means just obviously not scoring as much as I was two years ago, unfortunately," said Eberle, who banged two goals past Fife Flyers, last weekend.

"But I feel like I am still getting a load of chances and I have just been struggling to put the puck in the net so hopefully I can get hot here a little bit and keep scoring."

As for Mosey, Sheffield's No 10 said: "He is a great player, really good defensively.

"The way he gets up and down the ice is huge for our team. I think it has been really good for our team for him to be able to play 'D' and forward, it's helped us as we've been dealing with injuries all year."

The EIHL says has extended the 2021/22 programme by one week to allow for all Covid-postponed games to be played and completed.

Thirty games were postponed from mid-December when nine teams entered the EIHL’s COVID-19 protocol.

The new date for the Playoff Finals Weekend is April 30-May 1.