Panthers go three points clear at top

Photo: Panthers Images

Nottingham Panthers moved three points clear at the top of the Elite League with a 4-1 win over Glasgow Clan on Sunday evening.

“The end result was what we wanted, but I thought we came out flat and weren’t really very engaged for the 60 minutes,” admitted Panthers’ Chase Pearson. “We found a way to win, and that’s a testament to the group we have.”

The opening period ended level and, somewhat unusually, both goals came shorthanded. Felix Paré put the Clan ahead at 4:22 on the rush, while with 2:12 left in the period Matt Alfaro won a foot race and beat Sami Aittokallio to tie the game.

“I thought we had a really good second period, a good first too, but in the third it got away from us a bit,” said Clan’s Brady Risk. “They got the third goal and then it got away from us.”

Nolan Volcan’s excellent backhand pass, choosing to dish instead of shoot, set up Pearson in close to put the Panthers ahead just past the halfway mark of the game.

“When you’re playing well you’re really feeling the puck and you want to capitalise on that. When the team plays well you get more opportunities as well,” added Pearson.

A misplay from the Clan saw the puck bank in off their own goaltender the Panthers scored two in the final period to secure a 4-1 win.

“Nottingham are one of the top teams in the league for a reason. If we were going to beat them in their own rink we were going to need to work hard,” concluded Risk. “I thought we did that for the majority of the game. Maybe one or two bounces didn’t go our way, but we just didn’t seem to have that extra push that they had.”

Clan could consider themselves unlucky after creating several chances in the final period without being able to convert.