Nottingham Panthers 4-1 Belfast Giants (Elite League) 09.11.19
Nottingham Panthers 2-0 Belfast Giants (Elite League) 10.11.19
Nottingham Panthers kept up their recent record with a perfect double winning weekend against Belfast Giants on Saturday and Sunday at the Motorpoint Arena.
The Panthers beat the Giants 4-1 on Saturday before a 2-0 victory on Sunday ensured a fifth straight victory going into the Continental Cup this weekend with Tim Wallace’s side now having won six of their last seven games scoring 23 goals against just 12 conceded.
The double win see’s Nottingham move to 6th in the Elite League on 15 points from 15 games played with the team in a positive mood ahead of travelling to Denmark to face three games through Friday to Sunday in a competition they won in January 2017.
A step up in class against second placed opposition didn’t faze the Panthers on Saturday who took the lead through Brett Perlini eighteen minutes into first period and with the home sides tails up that became two early in the second period when Brett Bulmer hit first time after Connolly’s shot was rebounded by the opposition netminder.
Kevin Carr in the Panthers goal made a huge save as the home team were down to 4 following Sam Herr’s tripping and after Connolly was sent to the sides William Quist fired high past Owen in the Belfast net to make it 3-0 and all but wrap up the points with a period to play.
There was a scare as Mullen pulled one back during a third period powerplay but Jake Hansen finished things off late on to give the home side two points.
On Sunday evening things were predictably much tighter but after a tense and goalless first period Ontario born Brett Perlini fired in his seventh goal of the regular season deflecting a Mark Matheson shot through traffic.
With not much between the two sides going into the third Belfast sacrificed netminder Owen for an extra attacker but that backfired when Sam Herr hit into the empty net to round things off in the final minute.
“A great-great weekend” for the Panthers described by Coach Tim Wallace who said “to play that way back to back against a team like that at home is a great feeling”
Nottingham now look forward to this weekends three rounds of matches in the Continental Cup as they take on Gothiques d’Amiens of France on Friday, Ferencvarosi of Hungary on Saturday and SonderjyskE of Denmark on Sunday with all games played in Vojens, Denmark.
*Main image @PanthersIHC double celebration against Belfast this weekend.