Sheffield Steelers target Coventry Blaze super-goalie

Dowd, like everybody in the Steelers’ camp, respects the stellar goaltending so frequently exhibited by 6ft 5ins Brian Stewart.

Sheffield lost their last two games against Coventry, despite outshooting them 48-18 and 39-16.

Stewart was on his game both nights and had enough to frustrate Steeler forwards. “We dominated the games but he made it so difficult to put the puck past him” he recalled. “He just gets in the way” said Dowd.

“I remember going through the middle and shooting the puck so well that when it left my stick I just thought: ‘Goal!’ He was on his knees and it would have beaten any normal human being!

“But he is so big the puck clipped his shoulder and went wide. There were plenty of other times like that, too.”

Dowd is now weight bearing on his knee injury and hopes to be back in two or three weeks time. “I am normally a quick healer.”