A packed Storm Shelter witnessed its final home game of the year as Manchester took a hard-fought 2–1 first-leg victory over Nottingham Panthers.

The hosts were clearly spurred on by the palpable energy inside the building, and the first big scoring chance fell to Hinam in the slot, who was denied by Carr in the eighth minute. Shortly afterwards, the deadlock was broken by an unlikely source in Locke, who is renowned across the league as a stay-at-home defenceman—and this would not be the end of his attacking contribution in the period. His effort from the face-off circle found a small gap between Carr’s arm and body before trickling over the line in almost comical slow motion in the 11th minute.

Manchester quickly doubled their lead as another attempt from Locke forced Carr into a low save, which was expertly tracked by Hinam, who smashed home the rebound for the Storm’s second in the 15th minute. The Storm nearly extended their advantage moments later when a deft pass from Hannoun sent Gilmour through, but he was thwarted one-on-one by Carr to keep the visitors within touching distance.

The middle period began with Nottingham applying sustained pressure for the first time in the match, but the season-long resoluteness of DeRidder and his defensive unit ensured it came to nothing. Another one-on-one chance for the Storm was turned aside by Carr, who this time denied Nardi in the 26th minute. Despite the feisty nature of the contest, the game’s first minor penalty did not arrive until the 33rd minute, when Betteridge was assessed two minutes for tripping. A solid Panthers penalty kill prevented the hosts from establishing themselves in the offensive zone. The final notable chance of the period saw an Armour slapshot crash off the underside of the crossbar in the 36th minute.

The high energy and pace showed no signs of slowing in the third period, as both Carr and DeRidder were called into action repeatedly. The Storm thought they had a third when a brilliant individual effort from Gilmour saw him burst down the wing, beat the Panthers defence, and lift his close-range shot onto the crossbar in the 53rd minute. DeRidder’s goaltending prowess was then on full display as he kicked aside a dangerous effort from Doherty in the 57th minute.

However, moments later, the persistent Panthers found a breakthrough to deny DeRidder a shutout, with Marcinew tapping home at the back post following a defensive lapse from the home side. The late Nottingham goal means the Storm take a slender one-goal advantage into the second leg, with hopes of reaching the Final Four for the first time in their Elite League history.

Words by: Callum Schora