TICKETS: Less than 200 tickets remain for this Sunday’s HUGE game against the Nottingham Panthers, here at Planet Ice Altrincham! Tickets can be ordered online, by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.

Your Go Goodwins sponsored Manchester Storm are back in home action this Sunday as the Nottingham Panthers travel to the Storm Shelter for a 5:30 pm faceoff.

It was a disappointing night last for the Storm as 2 late empty-net goals saw them go down 5-2 in Guildford against the Flames. Despite taking a 2-1 lead thanks for Dane Byers and Luke Moffatt, it wasn’t to be for the Storm as the Flames scored 4 unanswered goals. The Panthers took on local rivals Sheffield Steelers. The Panthers secured a victory in front of a large crowd in Sheffield, Zack Phillips, Mike Vaskivuo, and Evan Mosey giving the Panthers the 3-2 win. Patrick Galbraith made 58 saves in the Panthers net, in a good performance.

Last night’s results see the Storm maintain their second position, with 71 points from 52 games. The Panthers move to 62 points from 51 games and occupy seventh place in the standings, 1 point behind both the Flames and the Steelers. Both sides have qualified for the playoffs, however they’re aiming for the best possible seeding in the playoffs.

The previous three league meetings between the sides have required the extra period to separate the teams, the Panthers winning once and the Storm winning twice. The Storm took the first meeting between the sides at home in mid-December, securing a 2-1 overtime victory. The next game required a shootout for the Storm to get both points, once again winning 2-1. The Panthers gained revenge in early-January with a 4-3 overtime victory. With such low-scoring games, no player has more than 3 points in the meetings. Dane Byers and Luke Moffatt both have 3 points for the Storm, while Robert Farmer is the solitary Panthers player to have 3 points in the 3 meetings. In nets, Mike Clemente has made 91 saves against the Panthers, from 97 shots, for a 93.8% save percentage. Mike Garnett has played all 3 games against the Storm, turning away 82 Storm shots for a 93.2% save percentage.

It looks like it’s going to be another busy game so make sure you get your tickets early, and don’t forget to Paint Altrincham Pink!

One to watch: Mike Vaskivuo joined the Panthers from Brest in the French second division, and has been putting up a point a game in his first 12 Panthers games, including 6 goals.

MATCH DETAILS:

• Doors open from 4:30 pm
• Face-Off at 5:30 pm
• SOTB is #91 Andrew McKinney & #94 Declan Blamer
• Stick Raffle is #21 Mike Hammond
• Match Sponsor is Toyota RRG Altrincham
• 50/50 & “Chuck A Puck” will also be running! Buy your tickets from the OSC under Block 113
• Tickets for the game can be bought from HERE
• Webcast for the game can be bought HERE
• The Station Hotel, official pub of the Storm, will be open pre & post game!

TICKETS: Less than 200 tickets remain for this Sunday’s HUGE game against the Nottingham Panthers, here at Planet Ice Altrincham! Tickets can be ordered online, by calling the box office on 0161 926 8782, or in person at the box office.