18 Jan 2025, 19:00 | Regular season | Motorpoint Arena Nottingham |
Nottingham Panthers | 2-1 | Coventry Blaze |
Periods: Shots: | 0-1 (6-13) | 0-0 (16-13) | 2-0 (13-5) | Total: 35-31 |
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Referees: #9 Joe Sewell, #48 Oliver Truswell  |  Spectators: 6810 |
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Goals and assists
Nottingham Panthers scored two goals in the final five minutes to
beat Coventry Blaze 2-1 in front of 6,810 fans at the Motorpoint Arena,
in a game where the visitors probably deserved more.
Nick Seitz
scored the only goal of the opening period at 10:10 to put the Blaze
ahead, and in truth they should have added to their tally in the first.
Jason Grande made an excellent pad save off James Constable from
point-blank range to prevent the Blaze going two ahead not long after,
and the visitors created several more excellent chances to extend their
lead before the intermission, but were unable to take advantage.
The
middle period was scoreless although an odd-man rush could have led to
the Blaze going two ahead, only for Grande to bail the Panthers out
again.
The Blaze weathered a Panthers Storm at the start of the
third period and came through unscathed. The home side did have the puck
in Mat Robson’s net but the play had already been blown down for the
puck being under Robson’s body – and with a penalty coming on the
visitors. Coventry killed off the minor well to stay ahead going into
the final ten minutes.
Having held out for some 55 minutes, the Blaze were undone by a
shot from below the goal line. A shot off the back boards fell to Otto
Nieminen below the line, and he banked the puck in off the back of
Robson’s pads to tie things with 4:22 to go.
Then, with 2:14 to play, a fake by Cooper Zech behind a screen
left Robson stranded and gave the Panthers defenseman half of the net to
aim at to score his first of the season and put the home side ahead.
Stunned, Coventry pulled Robson with 67 seconds to play as they now
tried to tie things up.
Chase Gresock had a late chance to tie it
but show wide when in close on Grande, while Didrik Henbrant hit the
iron when shooting at the empty net in the final 30 seconds.
The
Panthers held on for a win that looked like it wasn't coming for some 55
minutes, closing the gap on the top three back down to three points.