Ben O'Connor should be respected on his return to Sheffield Steelers' Arena rink

And senior club official Dave Simms has made a personal statement about fans booing the Great Britain skater.

The one-time Sheffield defenceman returns to the Arena with his side Guildford Flames for the top-of-the-table clash.

It is his first time back on the Arena pad since October 6, when he scored on the power play in a game won by Flames in overtime.

O'Connor had a busy night - he powered in four shots, served four minutes in the penalty box for cross-checking and slashing, and thoroughly savoured the win over his former employers.

The blue liner has previously said he wants to win silverware after being unable to tie down a deal with Sheffield.

Only eight players in Steelers' history have played more for the club, but some Sheffield fans gave him a tough time the last time he played at the Arena.

McNally, the former Cardiff Devils' winger, says he "knows the feeling" of what it's like to return to a former club - that burning desire to do well and win.

And he has obvious respect for O'Connor.

"When he gets going and his confidence is up he is a pretty good defenceman," he said.

"I remember someone telling me when Benny was signed by Cardiff, (McNally played there in 2021-22) that he was, at that time, one of the best d-men in the league.

"He can play good forwards, and We know Guildford are going to come hard and maybe even play a bit harder for him.

"But we need to focus on our team; I don't think they can match us if we can play our game."

McNally described the home loss earlier this season as one of the "blips" they have suffered.

But he takes nothing away from the quality of any of the opposing side, especially Italian-Canadian left-wing Daniel Tedesco, who leads Guildford in goals and points.

"We played together for a year in Italy, at Asiago, (2019-20) and he made the Italian national team" said McNally.

"He is good on the power play, can shoot, and can see ice pretty well."

O'Connor, who chalked up 317 points in 380 games for Sheffield, will be looking to make a similar impression.

Steelers' official Simms said: "As much as I want Ben to be on the losing side on Saturday night, and for my team to be victorious, I could never lower myself to boo a former team-mate who brought so much joy and silverware to our club.

"I am all for banter with opposition players but I draw the line at booing someone who wore orange and played as he did."