Cardiff Devils have eased into form with four successive wins, but head coach Andrew Lord insists: “There is far more to come yet.”
Sean Bentivoglio, Matt Pope and man of the match Andrew Hotham scored for Devils in their 3-2 win against Sheffield Steelers in their last game and Lord says: “We’re still not where we need to be, but we are working on that.
“We’re in a good little stretch and we must keep that going.”
Devils travel to Northern Ireland for an Elite League clash with Belfast Giants on Saturday (7pm), while Lord’s team are at home against Edinburgh Capitals the next evening (6pm).
Steelers goaltender Ervins Mustukovs kept his team in contention against Devils with a top quality performance, while Lord, Paul Crowder and Jake Morissette shone for the home team.
They went up against Robert Dowd, Levi Nelson and Andreas Valdix with Lord saying: “It was a good battle. That’s an incredible Sheffield line.
“They all have great speed, are in your face, play hard and have unbelievable speed.
“Crowds and Mo are responsible defensively and are smart hockey players and I felt we could do job against them.
“That was a big key for us. That line and their John Armstrong line make Steelers tick.”
Belfast have signed a new netminder to replace injured Stephen Murphy. Chris Truehl, 24, will team up with Jackson Whistle in the Giants team and flies in before this weekend’s matches against Cardiff and Dundee.
“With Murphy out injured we thought it was necessary to add a goalie to lighten the load on Jackson, especially with a lot of road games coming up,” said coach Adam Keefe.
“Chris is a big strong goalie that has shown he can compete at a high level. He’s in good shape and is hungry to get to Belfast to prove himself.”
Truehl is expected to arrive this week ahead of the Giants’ games at home to Cardiff Devils on Saturday then in Dundee on Sunday.
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Finnish defenceman Joonas Ronnberg is rejoining Sheffield Steelers o a temporary basis.
Ronnberg left the Steelers for family reasons at the end of October, but will play in their Continental Cup matches in Denmark this month.
“When Joonas left we kept the door open in the hope that he would play in Denmark,” said Sheffield coach Paul Thompson. “I know it was something he was previously keen to do.
“He will be a big asset to us in this difficult competition.”
The Steelers will face hosts Rungsted Ishockey, Yunost Minsk of Belarus and Latvian side Kurbads Riga during the tournament.
Steelers Continental Cup fixtures:
Friday, November 17: Yunost Minsk vs. Steelers (4pm local time)
Saturday 18: Steelers vs. Rungsted Ishockey (7.45pm local time)
Sunday 19: Steelers vs. Kurbads Riga (2pm local time)