Another sell-out crowd at the Storm Shelter saw Storm edged out 4-3 by the Nottingham Panthers in a feisty encounter.

Dante Hannoun received a roaring reception from the Storm supporters as he returned to the ice in the final regular season home game of the season, but it was the Panthers who struck an early blow, with Chase Pearson scoring on a wraparound after just 35 seconds.

Loren Ulett equalised at 10:59, outmuscling the Nottingham defence behind the goal and making space to shoot past Jason Grande’s glove, but it was his ejection for a retaliatory cross-check at 19:33 that ignited the game’s tinderbox. Nick Welsh was also ejected after a full and frank exchange of views.

Bryan Lemos restored the Nottingham lead on the resulting powerplay at 19:41, and the tensions spilled over at the buzzer, with multiple scuffles headlined by a heavyweight tilt between Team GB team-mates Brad Jenion and Josh Tetlow at centre ice.

When the play resumed for the second period, Jenion and Tetlow had been sent for an early shower, with Stephen Johnson and Tyler Hinam following suit, along with Nottingham’s Volcan and Hilderman.

Panthers added a third at 22:58, Tim Doherty with a flyer from the left circle, but then the unexpectedly short benched Storm began to fight back. Dante Hannoun cut the deficit at 36:59 with a sweet deke after being sent clear by Brandon Cutler, and at 38:18 Rais Francis pounced on a loose puck straight from the face-off to tie the game up at 3-3. Both Francis and Connor Lee showed up well after being handed extra ice time on a shortened Storm bench.

Both sides pushed for a winner in the third period, and Panthers thought they had edged back ahead at 43:05, only to have the goal taken back for a high stick. Four minutes later, Doherty found himself in some space in the slot at 47:47 to score his second of the game – and what would turn into the game winner.

Despite some frantic late possession with the extra attacker, Storm were unable to find another way past Grande, and Panthers returned to the East Midlands with both points.

The regular season concludes on Sunday with a trip south to play the Guildford Flames, who won in Belfast on Saturday night to climb one point above Storm in the league table. A regulation win at the Spectrum will see Storm finish fifth, with sixth place the consolation prize for any other result, including an overtime or shootout win. Depending on results elsewhere, Storm could still face any of Cardiff Devils, Sheffield Steelers, or a mouth-watering rematch with Nottingham Panthers in the playoff quarter-final next weekend.

By: Iain Lindley