Belfast Giants clashes to offer Sheffield Steelers true test of title credentials

It's too early to tell after just a quarter of the season has elapsed. But this weekend should give the Arena's Orange Army an insight into the possibility, with Steelers hosting Belfast Giants in back-to-back games.

Last season, Belfast helped themselves to eight critical points at Sheffield's expense - eventually winning the EIHL's main prize by a handsome seven points.

Aaron Fox's men will try to put that right this term, starting this weekend. And the new boys who weren't in Sheffield last season are well aware of the importance of this weekend.

The coach said of Greenfield, Mitchell, Ciampini, Pitule, Petgrave, Neumann, Allen, Ostlund, Nevalainen, Piche, Raska, McLaughlin, and McNally: "I think our new guys are excited for the weekend and understand that this is a team that we know will be in it down the stretch.

"They are looking forward to competing with them."

Matt Petgrave, one of the group, would dearly love to wrestle four points from Saturday and Sunday. But he said: "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, it is not going to be an easy weekend."

The defenceman said he was looking forward to the challenge adding: "The two games are going to be a good indicator of how we are going to line up in the league and how and how we envisage ourselves going forward."

Belfast will arrive in South Yorkshire after a 5-4 league defeat at Nottingham Panthers last Saturday. They won the last period 2-0, but couldn't claw all the way back. Six days earlier they had put nine past Cardiff Devils.

Petgrave broke off preparation for the Belfast games by paying tribute to his captain Jonathan Phillips, who is closing on his 1,000th game for Sheffield. He said he'd never played alongside anyone with a similar games tally.

"I played with a couple of guys who got to 500 and thought that was remarkable - 1,000 is pretty insane, especially in a league where you don't play 82 games."

Coach Fox said he has not made his mind up yet on which import will be left out of the line up on Saturday. Mason Mitchell was the odd one out against Glasgow Clan.