Twenty-shot Mathieu Roy was "protected" by his Sheffield Steelers boss

The team have occasionally been short on firepower and have been"nervous around the net," says Thompson.

And Roy has gone through a barren period in front of goal.

After the Power Play failed in a loss at Nottingham Panthers on Saturday, the coach moved Roy into a shooting role, rather than the bruising task of standing in front of the crease, obscuring the goalie's view and looking for tip-ins.

The changes saw the Canadian bang in two goals against Milton Keynes Lightning, in a 6-1 victory at Sheffield Arena.

Thompson said: "Roy is a goalscorer, he has been our top scorer for the last three years.

"And he is going through a tough time right now.

"To get two will hopefully get that monkey off his back.

"But I am going to protect him because he is the reason we have won three trophies over the past three years. He has been our top goalscorer."

Thompson explained why he had moved him to a primary shooting position.

"I wanted him to get a lot more shots, i wanted him to get a lot more feel of the puck" said the coach.

"I didn't want him scared to take a shot.

That's what happens when you are going through the kind of run that he is going through right now. And I am thrilled for him."

Thompson's PP changes included high profile roles for Andreas Jamtin and Jonas Westerling.

He said that no player had an "entitlement" to be on the PP, but that the pair had been waiting patiently and deserved a shot.

In the new system, he wanted Roy to take 20 shots on net, he revealed