The Nottingham Panthers enjoyed the best possible warm-up for Wednesday’s Challenge Cup semi-final, second leg, clash, with Belfast Giants, following Sunday evening’s home success against Manchester Storm.

At one point though, over the past week, it didn’t look like that would be the case for Danny Stewart’s Elite League side, they twice letting slip two-goal leads, in defeat to Guildford Flames, last Wednesday, and drawing with rivals Sheffield Steelers, on Saturday (losing via shoot-out).

Hosting the Flames, the Panthers were two-to-the-good come the end of the first period through goals from Cooper Zech, and a stunner by Zsombor Garat, the visitors pulling one back late in the second to make for an interesting final twenty.

That however, would go against the Panthers, who shipped three goals in the third period, the equaliser coming via Daniel Catenacci early on; a quick-fire brace of goals just before the hour mark turned the game on its head and gave the Flames the points.

Three days later, over in Sheffield’s Steel City, the Steelers did the same to the Panthers as Flames had done previous, the hosts smarting from the Challenge Cup capitulation to Cardiff Devils.

A scoreless first period would see the Panthers take the lead early in the second, through Tim Doherty, the visiting netminder, Jason Grande, pulling off his usual heroics between the Panthers pipes.

Zech and Doherty combined early in the third for Mitch Fossier to be played through and fire home the Panthers’ second of the game; but then, as with the midweek loss, a few cracks started to show.

Either side of the fifty-minute mark and the Steelers had levelled proceedings, eventually taking the contest to overtime, Grande again performing early heroics saving Steelers first two efforts, whilst Kristoff Kontos netted for the Panthers.

Fossier then missed for the Panthers, and the Steelers levelled up after five; Cooper Zech then gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead then, after a miss apiece, the Steelers levelled for a second time whilst Doherty put wide to send to OT, Kontos missing his effort before Steelers took the victory through Mitchell Balmas, who’d actually missed earlier on.

Then, on the Sunday, back at the Motorpoint Arena, Danny Stewart’s Panthers returned to winning ways, with a 3-1 home success against lowly Manchester Storm.

Cooper Zech, again, and Mitch Fossier, notched in the first two periods, the Storm pulling a goal back midway through the second; then, at the death, the Panthers added a third, against the run of play.

A late powerplay from the visitors saw them opt for a six-on-four and remove their netminder, which played right into the Panthers’ hands, and home captain, Sam Herr, was on-hand to fire home from his own, into an empty net.

Victory for the Panthers sees them sitting third in the standings, three behind second place Steelers, and seven ahead of fourth place Devils, who’ve two games in hand; now though, its eyes on the Challenge Cup, and overturning a three-goal deficit inflicted in the first leg, against Belfast Giants.

The Giants won 3-0 at their place earlier this month, but there’s hope, if the other semi-final outcome was to go by; the winners of the Panthers – Giants clash will face the Devils in the final after they overturned a two-goal deficit in their success against the Steelers.

The Steelers won the first leg 5-3, before proceeding to lose the second 4-0, taking the tie 7-5 on aggregate – the Panthers have it in them to do similar, and, with a baying Panther Nation behind them on the night, anything is possible.

Tickets for remaining home games for Nottingham Panthers, including the Challenge Cup semi-final second leg, versus Belfast Giants, on Wednesday (26 February) night, can be purchased here

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @PanthersIHC action at Storm as Panthers win 3-1.