Panthers Catch Up Ahead Of Clan

Following the pre-Christmas, double 6-4 scoring games, against Guildford Flames (home, won, 21 December) and Cardiff Devils (away, lost, 22 December) and the narrow, Boxing Day reverse at the hand of the visiting Sheffield Steelers, it’s been a case of won six, lost three for Danny Stewart’s free-scoring, Nottingham Panthers.

It was a spell that began with the New Years Eve/New Years Day double success, against Coventry Blaze, winning 9-2 at home, and 3-0 away, the former of those giving the Panthers faithful much delight at their Motorpoint Arena home.

COVENTRY BLAZE (H, WON 9-2)

In ending last year in emphatic style, it was to be a game which would see all of Stewart’s wishes come to fruition in one go; Ryan Bednard was netminder, Matt Alfaro returned to the starting line-up, and there were goals galore on the ice.

Swede Didrick Henbrant led the way with a hat-trick, whilst there were braces from both Canadian Hugo Roy and Finn Otto Nieminen as the hosts found themselves three to the good at the end of the first period.

Kristoff Kontos opened the scoring, before turning provider for Henbrant less than a minute later, Bednard then saved the Panthers from a two-on-one situation before, at the other end of the ice, Alfaro fed Roy to finish at the back.

Matt Spencer then made it four from just inside the blueline shortly after the second period began, before hometown favourite, Jordan Kelsall, was dismissed for cross-checking, and Bednard was again called into action.

Two more scores arrived in quick succession when first, Cooper Zech released Nieminen,and Henbrant netted via a deflection; the Swede completed his hat-trick, his second of the season, Roy adding another following a goalmouth scramble.

Nieminen grabbed his second of the contest late on, it sandwiched between a pair of consolation efforts for the Blaze, the latter past Jason Grande, who’d replace Bednard in the home goal after the visitors had netted their first.

The Panthers though, it was their biggest victory of the season thus far, eclipsing the 6-0 success over Fife Flyers in mid-December.

After the back-to-back successes against Blaze, a 2-1 home win was registered against Glasgow Clan, before a trio of defeats were endured, all on the road, at Cardiff Devils (3-2), and a double-header with Belfast Giants (0-2, 2-4), they coming earlier this month.

The Panthers returned to winning ways a little over a week ago, and are currently on a three-match winning streak (longest winning streak has been four, three times this season), the first of the current streak being victory in Scotland, at Dundee Stars.

DUNDEE STARS (A, WON 4-1)

A change in netminder for the Panthers as Bednard was replaced by Grande for the trip to Dundee, and the blue-touch paper was lit, well-and-truly, early doors, when defencemen, Panthers’ Jason Tetlow, and Stars’ Xavier Pouliot, dropped their gloves inside two minutes.

Less than thirty seconds later and the Panthers were in front, Alfaro putting Tim Doherty through for a well-taken score, the duo swapping roles for the Panthers’ second of the game, with Alfaro duping home netminder, Richard Sabol, for the score.

The second period would see Nieminen release Henbrant to fire home a first-time effort, whilst Grande pulled off some good stops in the Panthers net; the hosts came close to registering in a third period powerplay, Zachary Tsekos hitting the pipes, before Brett Gravelle notched from close-range.

Then, with the buzzer imminent, the Panthers snatched their fourth, Nieminen with an empty-net with ten seconds remaining.

The Panthers followed this success up with victory at home to Coventry Blaze (2-1), this past weekend, following it up with another win north of the border, this time at Fife Flyers.

FIFE FLYERS (A, WON 4-2)

Back in Scotland, this past Sunday night in Kirkcaldy, the Panthers wrapped up a 4-2 success to set them up nicely for their midweek, Challenge Cup play-in, against Glasgow Clan, the league success being their sixteenth of the season thus far.

With Grande again between the pipes, the Panthers missed a number of chances before finally taking the lead when captain Sam Herr played in Mitch Fossier for the opener, he firing into the top, right-hand corner of the home net.

The hosts levelled seven minutes later, former Panthers forward Massimo Carozza netting, before Kieran Craig gave them the lead; the third period however saw the game spun around, and in quick succession.

Kelsall and Nieminen combined to set up Zsombor Garat to level proceedings, Zech then set up Kontos to net from the right circle, before Nieminen wrapped up the win, and another four-point weekend for the Panthers, with their fourth goal, again an empty-net score, this time with fifty seconds remaining.

CHALLENGE CUP, INCOMING….

It’s now all eyes on the Motorpoint Arena on Wednesday night when the Panthers welcome Scottish side, Glasgow Clan, in a huge, Challenge Cup clash (face-off 19:30).

Sitting fourth in this seasons Elite League, the Panthers’ Challenge Cup journey has been a little more challenging, they having been grouped with Sheffield Steelers, Cardiff Devils, Coventry Blaze, Manchester Storm, and Guildford Flames, the Nottingham sides winning six (2OTW) and losing four (1OTWL) of their ten outings to put them into a qualifying contest with the Clan.

Of those successes was a Challenge Cup, opening night, 4-0 shut-out, of hosts Manchester Storm, as well as back-to-back home wins against Guildford Flames and Coventry Blaze, back in mid-September.

Victory over Glasgow Clan, in the play-in clash, will see the Panthers join that of Sheffield Steelers, Cardiff Devils, and Belfast Giants, in the tournaments semi-finals.

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Peter-Mann Panthers Catch Up Ahead Of Clan

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @PanthersIHC attention now turns to Glasgow Clan in the Challenge Cup.

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