And so they fell at the last; after a long season, the Nottingham Panthers came up just short in their challenge for the Elite Ice Hockey League title this past weekend, losing out in overtime on both nights against eventual champions, Belfast Giants.

Danny Stewart’s Panthers have been a force all season long, even making the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup (again losing to the Giants), but the occasional loss here and there has, ultimately, proved costly.

In between the Giants and the Panthers, rivals Sheffield Steelers took runners-up after they won a second overtime, 3-2, at home to Cardiff Devils on Saturday, before losing by the odd-goal-in-seven, away to Coventry Blaze, twenty-four hours later.

For the Panthers though, it was a tough one to take, especially when losing both games to the Giants, in overtime, with Mike Lee scoring the winner in each.

On Saturday, at the SSE Arena, the Giants took a first period lead before a scoreless second; Tom Doherty levelled proceedings early in the third with regulation time finishing at ones apiece; Lee snatched the winner close to three minutes into the extra period.

Twenty-four hours later, and at a sold-out Motorpoint Arena, the Panthers continued to give their all before ultimately coming up short.

Both sides registered in the first period, Mitch Fossier opening the scoring for the hosts after five-and-a-half minutes; as the contest headed towards the thirty-minute mark the hosts opened up a two-score lead with Doherty (25:22) and a great strike for Cooper Zech (28:21), he bamboozling the visiting defence, both scoring.

Again, Lee was on target for the Giants (33:27) to make it a one-score game in what was a hectic, second period; Scott Conway added his second of the game, in the third period, to tie the game at threes and send the clash into overtime, with Lee again netting what proved the winner.

Now though, the Panthers need to quickly dust themselves down, and turn their focus to the play-off quarter-finals, where they’ll have a double header with sixth place Guildford Flames, on Saturday 12 (away), and Sunday 13 (home) April.

The play-off quarter-final line-up will be as follows –

Belfast Giants vs. Dundee Stars; Sheffield Steelers vs. Glasgow Clan; Nottingham Panthers vs. Guildford Flames; and Cardiff Devils vs. Coventry Blaze

Tickets for the home, second leg of the Panthers hosting Flames tie, are available HERE

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @PanthersIHC the Panthers have ended their league season, now for the playoffs.