A foggy Friday night encounter saw the visiting Nottingham Panthers outlast the Storm to claim a 3-1 victory, in what was a textbook road hockey performance.

The hosts made the perfect start once again, flying out of the traps and grabbing the opening goal within just 12 seconds. Ulett and Caines combined well to force Carr into a save, but with limited control, Dudek timed his drive to the net perfectly and finished smartly to give the Storm a very early advantage. The home side would later rue a missed powerplay opportunity in the opening half, as the Panthers drew level almost immediately after killing the penalty. A shot through traffic from the point by Lemos evaded everyone, including DeRidder, to tie proceedings in the 13th minute.

An excellent glove save midway through the second period from DeRidder denied Nottingham as they continued to search for the go-ahead goal their play arguably deserved. Then followed the unusual sight of both teams skating around to disperse the worsening fog which lingered just above ice level in the 33rd minute. A big bounce off the end boards handed the Panthers the lead to take into the final period, as Marcinew was on hand to convert from just outside the goaltender’s crease.

The final period saw the visitors adopt a noticeably more conservative forecheck, instead clogging up centre ice and making life extremely difficult for a willing Storm outfit. The hosts peppered the Panthers’ goal, but a resilient Carr stood firm. The closest Storm would come was through an angled wrist shot from Ergang, which rattled the underside of the crossbar but somehow stayed out. An empty-net goal by Fossier with 26 seconds remaining sealed the encounter and ensured it would be Nottingham who claimed the spoils on this occasion.

Words by: Callum Schora