Panthers pounce to a Giant four-point weekend!

NOTTINGHAM, UK. Another four points in the kitty and a key rival sent away from Nottingham licking their wounds. It was a tough weekend for the Panthers but hard work and perseverance now sees them within a point of the league leaders with a game in hand.

This time last year the Belfast Giants came for their double header match ups against the Panthers and left the Midlands the EIHL champions, this year fortunes were not so favourable as they failed to score more than a point over both games with 4-3 shootout loss on the Saturday followed by a hard fought 1-0 loss on the Sunday. The Panthers dominance wasn’t easy though and a lucky bounce or two could have drastically changed the outcomes, however on the nights everything came up Nottingham.

With no fresh injuries from the gruelling weekend and forward Bruce Graham resuming light practice, the Panthers are in tip top condition to push hard down the final stretch and try to dethrone the Braehead Clan from the number one spot, a spot that is looking more precarious with every game played. With the league title, challenge cup and play offs at stake and within range of most of the top five the excitement is becoming palpable as Spring begins to come into view.

Schedules and conference layouts have stirred controversy with some saying the conference system favours the Braehead Clan with them playing just four out of thirteen games against their rivals in the top five. On paper this does look like a huge advantage but once you look further at the table you see the battle for the final play-off spot is about to heat up dramatically. All but the Dundee Stars could clinch the 8th seed and salvage an epic under-dog play off victory for their 2014/15 campaigns. With every team beating every team at some point this season it is not too late for an upset or two in the twilight of the season.

So it is all to play for in the EIHL, no game can be considered a dead rubber affair and points at the top and bottom of the table carry tremendous value going forward. The Nottingham Panthers do not seem to share the public consensus that the Clans schedule is gifting them the league and with every weekend they look stronger and stronger. There is one man that must be very happy right now, Neil Black owns both the Panthers and the Clan and the odds of one of his clubs taking home a hefty bounty of silver wear are running pretty favourable, even if it is shared between them.