Steelers face Panthers for top cup seeding

Photo: Dean Woolley

The Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers complete Premier Sports Challenge Cup Group Stage fixtures tonight with the Steelers playing to finish the opening phase as the top overall seeds.

Sheffield need any win tonight to surpass Belfast on 14 points and finish first across all three groups. Anything less, and the Giants will take the number one seed spot by virtue of having more wins on the tiebreak. The Steelers placed Brendan Connolly and Marc-Olivier Vallerand on injured-reserve this week, with Andreas Valdix coming in as temporary IR cover for Vallerand. It's a big weekend for Arron Fox's team who, a week after being knocked out of the IIHF Continental Cup, face the Panthers tonight and league leaders Guildford tomorrow.

The Panthers have relatively little to play for, aside from bouncing back from last weekend's disappointing home defeat to Glasgow - and beating their main rivals. The team can only tie Guildford on points, but are unable to overtake the Flames for seeding due to Guildford already having four regulation wins - something the Panthers can no longer achieve.

Click here for the tie-break rules.

Both teams were home overtime winners in the sides' first meetings this season, while the Steelers' 3-1 win in Nottingham earlier this month ultimately tipped the standings in their favour.