Sheffield 2-4 Nottingham
Crowd 4911

Ron Shudra still injured for Sheffield, Nottingham borrow ex-Steeler Nick Chinn.

Nottingham extend their winning sequence to three with their third win in four visits to the Hallam FM Arena. For the home side this is their fifth straight defeat after starting the season with 11 games unbeaten.

Panthers skated away with the points after Salonen's quick reactions buried two chances close-in, the second with the puck mid-air. Craighead sealed the win with a super wrist shot from the left wing and Koivunoro found the empty net with home goalie Dopson lifted.

The goalies had the upper hand throughout the opening period. Dutiaume got away on three minutes but came up with a big stop, Sundberg saving to his right. Cadotte and Ahlroos both fired in from the wings before Adams popped up at the crease but lost his footing. On fifteen minutes Struch got away down the middle and went right but Dopson stacked the pads to freeze the puck. Two minutes later Clarke close-in fed Moran on the doorstep but Dopson stonewalled the effort. The first closed with Cadotte taking a penalty in his own end.

Dutiaume blazed wide from close-in after the restart, then Sheffield went on the penalty kill as DeWaele headed for the box. Peron and Dutiaume almost forced a short-handed opener but Salonen made the powerplay count converting on the doorstep (24:01). Clarke then took the first of four Nottingham penalties but Sundberg didn't have a shot to save. Clarke emerged from the box to outwit Darling. His shot bounced back off the pipes and Koivunoro blasted the rebound wide. Stancok headed for the box for boarding and at last Sheffield's stuttering powerplay brought success as Dutiaume scrambled the puck home (29:44). Ahlroos got away down the left to force a big pad stop then Stancok headed back to the penalty box. Ellis swept the puck wide at the Panther's right post when it seemed easier to score then fired in from the right and Sundberg froze the puck in the scramble. Craighead was next to head for the box and Sundberg denied Anderson onn a wrap-around before gloving an Ellis shot from the left wing. Back to full strength and Salonen buried a crisp mid-air shot after Cadotte had forced a big rebound (37:33). Ahlroos fired in from the right then Dutiaume set up Lefebvre but he fanned on the chance.

Early in the final period Sundberg produced a good stop to deny Irving arriving on the doorstep. A sweet pass found Craighead in space down the left and he fired low across Dopson to clinch the game (42:00). Within the next three minutes Struch jinked inside and his shot bounced back off Dopson's left post.

Panthers continued to create the better chances until Irving fired home with the goalie unsighted as the sides skated 4-on-4 (55:24). But Sundberg never had another save to make as Sheffield failed to control the puck. Dopson finally got the chance to get to the bench for an extra skater with just 38 seconds remaining and Koivunoro's long clearance found the empty net (59:35) to seal a fully deserved win.