The Steelers Weekend Preview: The Task Ahead

Steelers vs. Clan, vs. Flyers, vs. Capitals

Last 10: Sheffield 8-2-0; Braehead 6-3-1; Fife 1-8-1; Edinburgh 0-9-1.

Season Series: Sheffield have won every game against these three Scottish opponents this season; they’ve beaten Braehead twice in 2 meetings, Fife 5 times out of 5 and Edinburgh 4 times out of 4.

Story: The Steelers bounced back impressively from an embarrassing loss to Nottingham, comfortably defeating Fife by the same score on Tuesday night.  The only blemish to Geoff Woolhouse’s bid for a shutout came with 6 minutes remaining in the final period as the Steelers eased off, to avoid tiring themselves out for one of their biggest weekends of the year so far.  With a potential 6 points up for grabs, Sheffield will look to build off the momentum of their victory over Fife and dramatically close the gap on Belfast over the weekend.

Team Scope:
Steelers: Fighting to keep their title hopes alive, Sheffield showed no mercy against a Flyers side that has now lost 7 in a row.  Reinstated forward Neil Clark scored a brace and backup goaltender Geoff Woolhouse put up a solid 24-save performance in relief of John DeCaro as the Steelers tried to erase the memory of their recent dips in form.  For the weekend ahead, Sheffield will face a tough back-to-back-to-back; Fife will undoubtedly be smarting from the thoroughness of their defeat on Tuesday night and eager for revenge on their home ice, while Braehead’s ability to beat the big guns has already been proven, and Edinburgh will no doubt be desperate to snap out of their mammoth 10-game losing streak on their Sunday trip to Sheffield.

Clan: Braehead have earned themselves a reputation as a team eager to spoil the party for those higher up the table- a 6-game win streak from the end of December to the middle of January saw them claim three convincing wins over league leaders Belfast (once) and third-placed Nottingham Panthers (twice).  Current Elite League scoring leader Jade Galbraith has been driving Braehead’s current form, with a huge 18-point lead at the top of the scoring table.  Only 6 points behind Cardiff Devils and one point ahead of Coventry, Braehead have guaranteed themselves a playoff position and have the potential to make a push for the top four- a win against Sheffield would be a great way to start that run.

Flyers: The Flyers’ miseries continue as Sheffield put them away with ease on Tuesday night- Steven Gunn’s late third-period goal avoided the embarrassment of a shut-out against, but will have provided little compensation as Fife return to Kirkcaldy even further out of the playoff picture.  Edinburgh now has a game in hand over the Flyers that could drive them out of Fife’s reach.  Still, revenge is a powerful motivator, and the Flyers would love to take advantage of a road-weary Sheffield side that may have struggled against the offensive talents of Braehead the night before.

Capitals: Edinburgh’s losing streak looks as though it could ruin a lot of the good work that the club has put in this season to keep them in playoff contention- having now lost 10 straight, the Capitals need to right the ship if they hope to fend off Dundee and Fife and complete a more successful campaign than last year.  It’s been a long and frustrating season for the Scottish side, and they come to Sheffield desperate to turn their fortunes around with a win over the title-chasing Steelers.

Who's Hot: Returning forward Neil Clark has been doing his part in a line-up that also contains the League’s third-highest scorer Jeff Legue, with a brace against Fife and goals in 3 of Sheffield’s last 6.  For Braehead, what more needs to be said about big Jade Galbraith?  The League’s top scorer had multiple goals in Braehead’s last 4 games- two hat-tricks and two braces- and notched another 5-point game against Coventry, giving him four 5-point games this season.  Fife’s losing streak has coincided with a dearth of scoring, but Edinburgh’s Rene Jarolin is putting up the points with goals in 3 of the last 4.