Cox was surprisingly sacked as Bees boss almost a fortnight ago due to cost-cutting measures and replaced by Lukas Smital.

The Czech, who is in his sixth season with the club, got his reign off to a perfect start with wins over Sheffield Steeldogs and Telford Tigers last weekend.

And Lamey said it was the right decision to appoint somebody who knows the club inside out, rather than a fresh face.

“Lukas and Gareth have been building this team for a few years now and it’s important to keep consistency,” he told the News.

“It would have been dangerous to get someone new in with their own ideas as players would be unsure if they’re what the new coach wants.

“Lukas knows everyone in the team and was here in the summer when players were signed, he was a big part of that process.

“It is important to keep continuity but this change does create a bit of a fresh spark and reminds everyone that this is a serious business.” Certainly Bees have looked as though they mean business lately with five wins from their last six matches.

The recent upturn in form has seen Bees climb up to fifth in the English Premier Ice Hockey League table ahead of a tough away fixture at Sheffield this Saturday (7.30pm f/o).

The Steeldogs stunned Bees on the opening day of the season when they won 7-4 at The Hive, but Lamey insists much has changed since then.

“The difference between now and the start of the season is you can see we have got our belief and confidence back,” he commented.

“We lacked a bit of confidence at the start of the season because we had a few bad results but in recent years we have come back from all situations and it was all about getting the belief back to do that again.

“We have the belief now that we can come back from any situation or hold on for a win if we need to.” Reflecting on the changes off the ice, Lamey said the team have to move on quickly. But he also stressed they want to continue the work that Cox started.

“It was disappointing but as a team we have to focus on our own jobs. We are focused on what he set out to do, the aims he had and we want to achieve them as a team,” he said.

“It’s important we move on, we all respect and miss Gareth in the line-up but we have to move on because we have a job to do.” Bees are set to be at full strength for their only game of the weekend.