Head Coach Chuck Weber believes a fervent home crowd can once again inspire Coventry Blaze to victory in the Elite League this weekend.

Weber praised the support of the Blaze fans following last Sunday’s 4-1 win over Cardiff Devils and he knows they can play another pivotal part when Sheffield Steelers visit on Saturday.

He said: “The fans were fantastic from the start, it was the loudest I have heard them for a while and it helped propel us forward. They stayed with us and helped us get over the hump.

“They can energise you and you find a reservoir of energy which makes you feel not as tired. They can play an instrumental part and we need them because we are all in this together.”

Blaze are yet to beat Steelers or Sunday’s opponents Manchester Storm this season, something Weber hopes can be corrected.

He added: “We have gone through a lot of video this week showing the boys the good things and that if you play the right way you will get rewarded.

“It is now about building on that and as a group we are still looking for consistency. We have had isolated games where we have played well but we have not sustained it.

“Sheffield are trying to find that consistency too, although they did have a four-point weekend. A four-point weekend is huge, especially when you are chasing the league.

“We have out-shot Manchester twice significantly and lost which is a little hard. The biggest thing we have to do is manage their powerplay, which has hurt us.

“We also need to do a good job of managing their transition because they have a lot of offence and their ‘D’ are fearless in joining the play.

“They are very opportunistic, they don’t need many chances to score, but we need to make sure we are a little more clinical too.”

(Image permission: Scott Wiggins)