Left Panther: October

Nottingham Panthers survived the Halloween weekend with only a minor scare – a comeback from 1-0 down to eventually secure a win 3-1 over Coventry – as back-to-back wins gave the team maximum available points. In ice hockey, and particularly this season it seems, any team can beat any other team, and Belfast, Sheffield and the Braehead Clan all had lower ranked teams claim wins against them on Sunday night. The Panthers are not immune either, losing 6-1 to Hull on September 27, an evening to forget.

 

But Corey Neilson’s men have now won seven games on the bounce and are starting to demonstrate some gritty form against both the top- and bottom-placed teams in the Elite League. This team may not be the flashiest ever, but they are certainly showing determination, tenacity and are starting to click as a team, with several players demonstrating the willingness to step in and defend team-mates, a crucial sign of the togetherness in a team.

 

There is no official enforcer this season, but Schmidt, Jacina, Farmer, Graham and, least likely of all, Jonathan Boxill (since he could hardly reach up to connect with his opponent’s jaw) have all been prepared to drop the gloves when needed.

 

Once again, injuries have started to plague the team, the latest being Craig Kowalski with a recurrence of the groin strain that took him out of action for several months last season. Swedish born Mattias Modig, the 27-year-old boy band lookalike, came in at short notice and in the two games he has played faced 62 shots and only let in two goals. Modig has the claim to fame of having saved a penalty shot by Sidney Crosby, one of the best Canadian players in the world, albeit in a scrimmage game.

 

 

Other players suffering injuries in the last month are Brandon Benedict (concussion), Robert Farmer (foot), Max Parent (undisclosed), Charles Landry (sickness) and Cody Wild (thigh). Chris Higgins played for the first time in 11 games, only to be kneed and benched again, which, frustratingly, means he’s only played two games in the season to date.

 

The shortage of players due to injury has given three young Brits the chance to step up from the shadow squad in the lower-ranked English Premier League to play. Jordan Cownie, Lewis Hook and Ollie Betteridge gave their all in a Cup game against Coventry and filled in admirably to cover injured players.

 

In the last month, Nottingham bowed out gracefully from the Champions Hockey League (CHL), European competition, finishing 40th out of 44 teams (so marginally higher than seeded at 44th) yet the ninth best attended team in the competition. While others were offered the chance, Nottingham was the only team in the UK willing to participate.

 

For their pains, they got a win against the odds against the top German League Hamburg Freezers team on home ice, raised the profile of British ice hockey in Europe, and they may have secured a valuable future net-minder from contacts made in the competition: Mattias Modig, via Lulea in Sweden.

 

Nathan Robinson was brought in for the CHL, and has been open about his desire to return to Cologne in the DEL German League to deal with unfinished business. In the short term, he has stayed with the Panthers and his play-making skills have been to the benefit of the team. He is currently our top scorer, with David Clarke and Robert Lachowicz following.

 

Progression in the Challenge Cup is now secured, with Panthers through to the quarter finals, in the same group as Cardiff Devils and Sheffield Steelers. Hull and Coventry are fighting relegation at the bottom.

 

Top spot in the league is now jointly held by Belfast and Braehead Clan. But Panthers are creeping up nicely behind and if we win the two games in hand, we will go three points clear at the top. The league statistics tell a story, though, and the Panthers do not have a single player in the top 20 scorers in the league. This team is not a high-scoring team: the most goals in one game is five, and that has only happened twice so far, unlike previous seasons where we have enjoyed scoring for fun. There is nothing wrong with the number of attempts on goal, and the Panthers shots on goals in any given match are nearly always higher than the oppositions (for example, Nottingham outshot Dundee 16-3 in one period and again by 14 shots to six in the second), but we haven’t yet managed to convert that dominance into goals.

 

Things seem to be starting to go in the right direction for the Panthers and with big games coming up against arch-enemies the Sheffield Steelers and the Belfast Giants, a team that can grind out wins when they are not full-staffed, nor playing their best, gives cause for optimism. There’s still plenty of entertainment to be had before seasonal festivities are added to the mix.

 

Follow Sally on Twitter: @sautton22

 

Nottingham Panthers