Ice hockey

ED COURTENAY could turn from hero to villain tonight if he can shoot down Superleague pace-setters Sheffield Steelers.

The Canadian will provide the cutting edge for Ayr Eagles against his former club. But the top gun will be minus his partner Teeder Wynne who also left Steelers for Ayr in the close season.

The pair occupied first and second spot in the points charts last season and injured Calgary-based Wynne did not even make the trip to Newcastle for last night's Benson and Hedges Cup, quarter-final, first-leg against Jesters.

Ayr travel to Sheffield with Steelers on a high having set a Superleague record of 11 straight wins by beating Bracknell Bees 6-1 in a league game on Friday night.

Courtenay said: "I made some good friends in Sheffield but I also made some enemies - that's life.

"We have the team capable of winning there but we'll have to play smart, defensive hockey and take our chances when they come."

Elsewhere, Edinburgh Capitals aim to give a home debut to Swedish winger Jerker Svanstrom against Slough Jets while Paisley Pirates visit Hull Thunder looking for their first points.

In the Scottish National Leagues Autumn Cup, Perth Panthers host Dundee Tigers at Dundee's new #6 million ice rink, a milestone in the rebirth in the city of the world's fastest team sport after a number of barren years.

FIXTURES: Superleague: Bracknell v Manchester (6.0); Cardiff v Belfast (6.0); London v Nottingham (4.0); Sheffield v Ayr (6.30). British National League: Edinburgh v Slough (6.0); Hull v Paisley (5.0); Coventry v Fife (6.0). Scottish National League: Autumn Cup: Paisley v Kilmarnock (7.15); Perth v Dundee (6.0, at Dundee).

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