Nottingham Panthers lifted the Challenge Cup for the third successive year as they secured a 10-4 aggregate win over Belfast Giants.
Third straight win for Cup kings Nottingham Panthers
Nottingham Panthers lifted the Challenge Cup for the third successive year as they secured a 10-4 aggregate win over Belfast Giants with a 5-3 second-leg victory at the National Ice Centre.
Panthers, leading 5-1 from the first outing in Belfast, raced into a 3-0 lead inside 12 minutes with goals from Sami Ryhanen (two) and David Clarke, prompting a Giants time-out.
Giants pulled level through powerplay markers from Jon Pelle and Robert Dowd and a third from Jeff Mason but Panthers rode the storm and a Matt Francis penalty shot started the home celebrations early before captain Danny Meyers put the icing on the cake with an empty-net short-handed strike with 10 seconds remaining.
It was the fourth time in five years Panthers had lifted the cup while Belfast will now look to secure the Elite League title with victory at home to defending champions Sheffield Steelers on Friday.
Meanwhile, a hat-trick from former
Hull Stingrays forward Frantisek Bakrlik gave
Fife Flyers a 4-2 victory over his old club in a league encounter in Kirkcaldy.
