With the regular season just one week away, new Head Coach Mike Flanagan and his team were looking to test themselves against the visiting Nottingham Panthers. A strong home crowd was in attendance for a rare late August game.

A largely free-flowing opening ten minutes saw chances at both ends of the ice, but neither team found the net. The Storm’s penalty-killing unit was called into action at the midpoint and held strong to shut down two powerplay opportunities. The home team stepped up the pressure in the final few minutes of the period and scored twice in quick succession. The first goal came from Durflinger, on his debut, who found a big five-hole to beat Bednard after a smart pass from Corneil. The second was a finely placed snipe by Storm academy graduate Noah Kääriäinen.

The second period started much like the first, with a back-and-forth flow to the game. Weninger was called upon late in the period, making two top saves to deny the Panthers’ forwards any chance of cutting the two-goal deficit.

The Panthers came out of the second intermission with intent and quickly found themselves on the scoreboard, with Nieminen combining nicely with Henbrant to leave Weninger with too much ice to cover at the far post. Storm responded positively, creating some good chances. Their hard work paid off as Hinam found space up the left wing and dispatched an accurate shot which beat Bednard up high, restoring the two-goal lead. Just moments later, Harrison made it 4-1, shooting from the hash marks after a nice pass by Critchlow. The Panthers upped their forecheck in the final stages of the game but failed to capitalise on their chances, again finding Weninger in top form. The Storm closed out the game with an impressive 4-1 victory, sending the home crowd home happy.

Words by: Kristian Stokwisz