It’s been an incredible week for Nottingham’s professional ice hockey team the Nottingham Panthers, as they defeated Italian side Ritten Buam 4-1 on Sunday in the Continental Cup Final, becoming the first British ice hockey team to claim a major European title.
Great British international Rob Farmer got two goals with Matt Carter and Chris Lawrence also registering
their names on the scoresheet; the Panthers utilised powerplay on two occasions to seal the win in the second tier European competition.
There was jubilation at the final whistle with players celebrating with the 400+ black and gold army who had made the long trip to watch their team achieve a piece of history and collect their ice hockey pitch-shaped piece of silverware.
The team, who play their home fixtures at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, triumphed in the Northern Italian Alps over teams from Denmark and Kazakhstan on their way to the final.
“It was particularly hectic for Panthers player Alex Nikiforuk whose wife gave birth to twins back at home after the forward had made the journey to Italy”
They went into the game needing one point to top the group, having lost the services of key winger Stephen Schultz to injury, after he played in those wins over Odense Bulldogs and Beibarys Atyrau.
The Nottingham Panthers went up against three teams in the finals in a packed weekend of fixtures, beating Italy’s Ritten to become the champions. The previous best-ever performance by a British side in the 20 years of the Continental Cup came in 2010, when Sheffield Steelers finished third.
“For a tournament like this I don’t think anybody gave us a fighting chance, it’s like the Europa League of [ice] hockey and we’re the first British team to win it – not many British teams have even been in the final”
It was particularly hectic for Panthers player Alex Nikiforuk whose wife gave birth to twins back at home after the forward had made the journey to Italy. Nikiforuk returned home on Friday and then flew back to Italy for the final match on Sunday.
The player said, “For a tournament like this I don’t think anybody gave us a fighting chance, it’s like the Europa League of [ice] hockey and we’re the first British team to win it – not many British teams have even been in the final.”
Panthers head coach Corey Neilson said after the match, “It’s just such a special thing to be able to compete on the international stage and show not only how good the Nottingham Panthers are, but how far the league has come.”
The lowest ranked team going into the competition, who endured some terrible form at the start of the season in the UK Elite Ice Hockey League losing nine out of eleven games, should now have a place in the Champions Hockey League for next season.
“Practices resume on Wednesday ahead of the weekend action at Belfast and home game to Fife on Sunday in the league”
Panthers players, fans and coaches alike will not forget in a hurry the piece of history which was made last weekend. It’s an amazing feat for Great British ice hockey as a whole and cements Nottingham on the map as a real strong point for the sport here in the UK.
There is no respite for the Panthers, who are currently fourth in the UK Elite Ice Hockey League standings. Practices resume on Wednesday ahead of the weekend action at Belfast and home game to Fife on Sunday in the league.
If you want to be part of the crowd to welcome the GMB Panthers back from their European triumph or attend any of their upcoming fixtures, you can visit their website to book tickets – students can get in at the National Ice Centre for just £13.
Joe Tanner
Featured image courtesy of Hamish Foxley via Flikr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.
Follow @ImpactSport on Twitter and Like Impact Sport on Facebook
