Fife Flyers are anxiously waiting on news of team-mates Kyle Horne and Matt Reber, who were injured in a freak collision.
The pair missed Sunday’s 8-1 demolition by red-hot Sheffield Steelers in Yorkshire.
Doctors are monitoring Horne and American forward Reber day-to-day ahead of this weekend’s Challenge Cup, Group A, double-header with arch rivals Dundee Stars.
Danny Stewart, Fife’s associate player-coach, was also suffering after a hit by Steelers’ Mark Thomas in Saturday’s shoot-out home defeat.
Overall, Stewart, who played on Sunday, was happy with Saturday’s performance which he described as gutsy.
He also praised home-grown defenceman Thomas Muir and giant American Matt Nickerson, who were both sent to the sin bin on misconduct penalties.
“We were proud of the guys on Saturday. We lost Kyle and Matt from a freak accident. They were both looking the other way and collided with each other and Tommy (Muir) and Matt (Nickerson) both jumped in to help their team-mates so we were short-benched for a big spell but the guys fought back into it.
“Sunday was different. The guys were possibly tired from Saturday but we don’t make excuses in the dressing-room.
“Sheffield were better than us in all aspects of the game and outclassed us in every aspect.”
Stewart tipped the Yorkshire side as potential league champions.
He said: “They are the best team I’ve seen this season and I can’t see any weaknesses. They have size and mobility and it may be premature but they have to be looked at as potential league champions.”
Dundee Stars playcaller Jeff Hutchins admitted yesterday that he was unhappy with the club’s overtime defeat by Hull Stingrays.
He said it is taking a little longer than he anticipated to get his new-look team in shape.
Stars lost 4-0 at Coventry Blaze on Saturday and were edged 5-4 by the Humberside men, who levelled at 4-4 only 15 seconds from the end of regular time.
Then Zach Hervato popped in the winner 17 seconds into the extra period.
Hutchins said: “There are positives to take out of the game. We scored four goals and did some good things to get the four goals but there is no way that we should be scoring four goals and losing the game.
“You put 14 new guys in the (dressing) room and it is taking a little longer than I had expected (to get them to gel).”
Determined Hutchins added: “We will work our way through this. We try to get better every day and we are definitely not panicking.
“We’re only three games in to the season but it is going to take a little more time (to get things right).”