LOGAN ROE believes his previous experience of big rivalry games will help when he gets his first taste of a Sheffield Steelers-Nottingham Panthers game this weekend.

The Steelers take on their fiercest rivals for the first time this season, buoyed by a solid weekend which brought Challenge Cup wins over Coventry Blaze and Guildford Flames.

They continue their Cup campaign at home to the Panthers on Saturday night, before getting their league campaign underway on Sunday with a trip to Glasgow Clan.

The fixture rarely needs any build-up given the importance it has taken on for fans of both teams over the years and Roe - who made the move to South Yorkshire in the summer - has been made fully aware of what is at stake.

Prior to his switch to Sheffield, 34-year-old defenceman Roe spent four years in the ICEHL with Black Wings Linz, where a similar rivalry existed with Red Bull Salzburg.

The distance between the two Austrian clubs was almost twice that between Nottingham and Sheffield, but it was always a pivotal fixture for both teams.

“As a player, you love to play those rivalry games and Salzburg was always a big game for us in Linz,” said Roe. “It’s always the same kind of thing when teams are close geographically.

“You want to put down a marker and show who the better team is in the area. That’s something we’ll definitely want to do on Saturday against Nottingham.

BRING IT ON: Sheffield Steelers' defenceman Logan Roe is keen to lock horns with rivals Nottingham Panthers tonight. Picture: Cerys Heslop/Steelers Media.

placeholder image — BRING IT ON: Sheffield Steelers' defenceman Logan Roe is keen to lock horns with rivals Nottingham Panthers tonight. Picture: Cerys Heslop/Steelers Media.

“The guys have been filling me in a little bit recently and you know the fans will be electric and the energy in the building will be big, so I’m looking forward to it for sure.

“You get excited, you look forward to it and you kind of circle it on the schedule.”

Steelers’ head coach Aaron Fox knows all about the importance of the fixture between the two teams, now in his seventh full season in charge at Sheffield.

He added: “I’m sure the message has reached the new players we’ve brought in that these games are extra special.

“It will be new for a lot of the Panthers team as well. They’ve had a large overhaul of their roster this summer, so this will be a good chance for us to see each other for the first time.

“While many of the players on both sides will be new, I expect the same old atmosphere for one of these games and maybe a little more spice on the ice come Saturday.”