Steelers strengthen to boost title hopes

The 26-year-old makes the switch to the UK from Dayton Gems in North America’s Central Hockey League and will go straight into the defending champions’ line-up for Wednesday’s trip to Cardiff Devils.

It’s not clear who will make way for Duff on the roster, but with Steelers already running with a spare 11th import, it would be unlikely for them to increase that number so one man is expected to make way.

Duff, who contributed three assists in 29 games for Dayton, as well as racking up 72 minutes in penalties, spent most of last season in the East Coast league with Toledo Walleye, playing alongside Coventry Blaze defenceman David Phillips.

He will come into a Steelers team who stretched their win streak to five games at the Motorpoint Arena on Sunday with a 3-1 triumph over a determined Dundee Stars side desperately trying to catch Hull Stingrays for the eighth and final play-off spot.

Colt King gave Steelers a ninth-minute lead on the power play before Luke Fulghum doubled the advantage early in the second.

Former Steelers’ forward Jeff Hutchins halved the deficit to create a few nerves among the home supporters, but Fulghum was on hand with his second of the night early in the third to secure both points.

The result maintained pressure on their title rivals, leaving them nine points behind leaders Belfast Giants with six games in hand.

Most notably, however, a Saturday night defeat in Braehead for second-placed Nottingham Panthers, combined with the Steelers’ latest success, saw the South Yorkshire club close the gap on their fierce rivals to just two points – again with six games in hand.

Duff’s arrival may come as something of a surprise to the existing defensive unit, who seemed to have responded well to recent criticism, tightening up to concede just six goals in the last four games – a marked improvement on the 17 which found their way past netminder John Decaro in the previous four matches.

But Finnerty has pressed ahead with his threat to bring in new blood and with valued blue liner Matt Stephenson on the sidelines with an upper-body injury - withdrawn following warm-up before the Dundee game - Duff‘s signing could not be better timed..

“Nick will play on Wednesday at Cardiff,” said Finnerty.

“He is a bigger, tougher guy than what we have and just what we need at the back for the run in.

“Matt has an upper-body strain, its not super serious but I didn’t want to take the risk that we might make it a lot worse if he played against Dundee

“We have Nick coming in on Monday so we are covered if Matt is out a little longer, but I don’t think he will be for too long.”

HULL STINGRAYS couldn’t build on Saturday night’s impressive 3-0 home win over Edinburgh Capitals as they went down 5-2 at Coventry Blaze on Sunday.

Hull went into the weekend four points adrift of seventh-placed Edinburgh but closed that gap to two after thanks to goals from player-coach Sylvain Cloutier, defenceman Martin Ondrej and top scorer Jereme Tendler.

But, while Stingrays returned home empty-handed from Coventry, their Scottish rivals gained a valuable point in a 2-1 overtime defeat at home to Cardiff.

Stingrays stayed neck and neck with Coventry for the first half of the game in the Skydome Arena, with Derek Campbell and Ondrej trading goals with Greg Owen and Owen Fussey.

But once Coventry went ahead for a third time - through Shea Guthrie at 29.20 - they never allowed the visitors back into the game.

Owen grabbed his second on the powerplay at 36.42 to double the advantage and as Hull pressed for a way back, Jonathan Weaver made it 5-2 at 50.56.

IN the English Premier League, Sheffield Steeldogs remain in fifth place after a mixed weekend.

Andre Payette’s side romped to a 6-1 win at home to Bracknell Bees on Saturday, but went down 5-2 in a bruising encounter at second-bottom Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday.

They are now eight points behind leaders Guildford Flames with a game in hand, but only three points behind second-placed Milton Keynes Lightning, who suffered two losses.

Both Slough Jets and Manchester Phoenix won twice to move two points ahead of Steeldogs.