"Panthers' Max Parent saw red for flying at Sindel, throwing him to the ground to protect Mosey, only to pull him up again by the neck so they could continue the fight"
illustration: Adam Poole
Panthers have entered December as they mean to go on, sitting at the top of the Elite League table. It has been a hard fought effort through November to climb to the top. In the last four weeks, we have played 10 games and won six. In addition to defeats to high-flying teams Belfast and Coventry, a couple of the losses have been surprising in that they were to sides who are much lower placed in the league, Dundee and Edinburgh. But what the Panthers have managed to do that other teams have not is to take those losses to overtime rather than in regulation, therefore accruing extra points.
News of a less satisfying nature concerns the ongoing sidelining of starting net-minder Craig Kowalski, who recently suffered another muscular injury, possibly a repeat of the one that sidelined him for much of last season. Kowalski did come back for one game in November, only to succumb to injury again. Matthias Modig, the Swedish short-term top goalie from Lulea, had already returned home in what turned out to be a premature departure. After a poor loss to Dundee on November 23, the Panthers management were quick off the mark to secure Modig for the rest of the season and bring him back pronto for the following weekend. He was welcomed back with open arms and the change in results was notable, the team winning both games in which Modig saved 59 out of 60 shots, nudging Nottingham nicely up to the top of the league table. Modig deservedly got man of the match in both outings and he is now the top goalie in the Elite League with a phenomenal 95 percentage save rate, which is even five per cent up on the brick wall that is Craig Kowalski.
The sidelined Craig Kowalski. image: Sally Utton
Apart from Kowalski, the injury situation for the rest of the team seems to be settling down to a few niggles, which hopefully remain minor. Greg Jacina has just been sidelined for two weeks. Mind you, in ice hockey it’s not only the players who are at risk of injury. In the most recent game against the Coventry Blaze, experienced referee Mike Hicks took an unexpected puck to the face and was knocked out for a few minutes. He struggled to get up initially and took home a jaw injury and some loose teeth for his troubles.
That same game saw distinct signs that Panthers’ team spirit is growing stronger and stronger, as Evan Mosey was the victim of an awful hit from behind by Jakub Sindel, slamming him into the boards face first, resulting in Sindel being thrown out of the game – but not before Panthers’ Max Parent saw red for flying at Sindel, throwing him to the ground to protect Mosey only to pull him up again by the neck so they could continue the fight (although Sindel did not really have chance to drop his gloves, nor throw any punches)!
Parent: teacher. image: Emma Sleight
Of Panthers victories across November, the sweetest was over the Sheffield Steelers on November 8 as we stamped our authority all over the arch-enemy in a 7-2 win that made them look very average, despite a position in the top three of the league table for the last few weeks. That was eight wins in a row for Nottingham, garnished by Cody Wild scoring in his first game after injury, a game that was notable for a very unusual situation when the net-minders stick was stuck under the goal. He pushed the goal off to get the stick back, incurring a penalty that Panthers had to defend.
The Challenge Cup moves onto the last eight stage in the next few weeks and Nottingham will this year face Fife. Quarter-finals are played over two legs and dates will be announced soon. The finals are a stand-alone event to be held, for the first time in several years, at Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena on March 8.
Next weekend brings consecutive away games, first at local rivals Sheffield then down the M1 to Coventry. Standout fixtures in the festive programme are traditional back-to-back home and away games against the Sheffield Steelers, with tickets selling fast only hours after release. There’s also a New Year’s Eve game against Coventry again if anyone is short of party invitations. This is invariably a feisty game, so the fireworks could start early in the NIC.
Follow Sally on Twitter: @sautton22
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