Pecker chopped by Steelers

RYAN Finnerty warned of changes to his Sheffield Steelers roster after an “unacceptable” Elite League weekend and yesterday’s (MON) release of forward Cory Pecker proved it was no idle threat.

The 31-year-old Canadian winger was one of Finnerty’s most talked-about signings of the summer, but has struggled to have the desired impact, scoring one goal and nine assists in nine appearances.

Finnerty was left fuming after a weekend which saw his team take only one point from a possible four at home, following up a 2-1 defeat on a shoot-out to Nottingham Panthers with a 4-3 loss to Coventry Blaze - a team they had beaten twice two weeks before.

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The Steelers remain top of the overall league standings, but Finnerty had seen enough and has acted quickly with Pecker the first to be shown the exit door.

It’s clear others will follow Pecker if performance levels and, more crucially for Finnerty, players’ workrate doesn’t improve.

With the search already underway for a replacement, British forward Lee Esders is the beneficiary of additional ice time given his impressive performances and the abrupt nature of his team-mate’s departure.

“It’s unfortunate when a guy has to leave,” said Finnerty. “We had high hopes for Cory, but unfortunately things haven’t worked out as we all wished.

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“We are already looking, but we’re not just going to bring in anyone - it has to be the right guy.

“The work ethic shown by Lee (Esders) has put many others to shame and he’s done more than enough to earn his spot in the top nine forwards.

“I hope this move is the only one like it I will have to make this season. The players here know me and know I won’t and can’t accept performances like the one we saw on Sunday.”

FORMER Steelers’ defenceman and general manager Mike O’Connor made a return to the club yesterday as its new commercial manager.

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O’Connor made 136 appearances scoring 13 goals and 65 points in three seasons with the Steelers during the 1990s.

He also served as the club’s general manager for several years until the summer of 2010 when, along with head coach Dave Matsos and PR manager Dave Simms, he resigned in a vote of no confidence in then owner Bob Phillips.

Owner Tony Smith said: “I’ve spent most of the past two weeks interviewing possible candidates, but in the end it came down to pure experience and knowledge of the game – Mike has both in abundance.”

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