The Panthers fell behind after just 36 seconds to a strike from Kim Ahlroos, the rest of the first period saw 51 minutes of penalties handed out by referee Andy Carson. The period saw Claude Savoie and Knights' Mike Barrie go toe to toe with Savoie getting the upper hand and Barrie did not return until the third period. The period also saw London defenceman Rob Donavan thrown out on a 5 + game penalty for Boarding on Panthers Jimmy Drolet.

The Knights increased their lead in the second thanks to Sean Blanchard after 25 minutes but following two penalties against Panthers Clayton Norris which the Panthers managed to kill, the Panthers were back in the game thanks to Lee Jinman's 7th of the season. The third period saw the Panthers have to kill a further two penalties, this time against Lee Jinman and Clayton Norris and with seven minutes to go the game was tied thanks to Joel Poirier who scored on a great feed by Greg Hadden. The Panthers then had there own chance to win the game on the powerplay but failed to take the chance.

The game completes the month of January for the Panthers and they will be pleased to see the back of it, as they have managed to win just 2 games during the month. Their record for the month is Won 2 - Lost 4 - Tied 4 hardly form that is going to see the Panthers finish second in the Superleague table.

Bracknell started the game well and had lots of pressure in the Nottingham zone but it was the Panthers who opened the scoring after 14 minutes as Wallenberg netted on the powerplay assisted by Jinman and Drouin.

The second period saw plenty of goal mouth action, the Panthers increased their lead after 24 minutes as Wallenberg netted his second of the night and made it 3-0 a minute later thanks to a short-handed goal from Savoie following a tripping penalty to Moria. Just as you thought the Panthers had the game wrapped up the Bees hit back as Ciccarello scored on a rebound from Knox and minute later they had pulled the game back to 3-2 as Ceman fired home.

The Bees levelled the game on the powerplay after a well worked move was finished by Ftorek but it looked like the Panthers would still win the game, when Captain Joel Poirier scored for the second home game running with 8 minutes to go but the Bees had other ideas. With 71 seconds to go the Bees called a timeout and pulled netminder Watkins to give them the extra skater and it took them just 6 seconds to make the skater count as Ceman scored his second of the night and a final score of 4-4.

This game matches Eagles and Panthers against one and other for the 50th time in all competitive games since the formation of the Superleague. Eagles have the upper hand 28-15-5. They have an impressive home record against the Panthers of 16-3-3. But as this is a Cup semi-final, form goes for nothing.

The home side had the better of the first period and almost opened the scoring inside the first minute. A shot from Silfwerplatz was tipped to the side by the glove hand of Lorenz. Joel Poirier was denied by Gage in the 3rd minute. Then Lorenz made a double save from Courtenay then denied Weaver and Wood. On the only powerplay of the period Eagles came close twice a wraparound by Bauba was saved and Wood put the rebound just wide. In the latter part of the period Gage denied Wallenberg and then Sjorgen.

Panthers out shot the home team in the second period, but its the home team who have found the way to the net. With 21.06 on the clock Gordon came round the back and beat Lorenz low down at his near post. The home side doubled their lead 7 minutes later as new boy Molin scored with a backhand effort that went in off the post, to the delight of the home fans. The visitors did have their chances but Gage in the home net is in top form. He denied Drouin in the 34th minute and moments later made a good pad save from Jinman.

The final period saw Panthers apply pressure on the Eagles net. But they came up against a goaltender who was determined not to be beating on the night. In the first 5 minutes he denied Poirier and Jinman. Then on the 49 minute mark Hadden was through 1 on 1 but Gage spread himself well to deny him. Hillstrom was binned and on the powerplay Gage made 4 big saves then a double save as the penalty expired. With 31 second to go Byram stole the puck in the Panthers zone and passed to Gordon to hit home the 3rd goal of the game. Eagles take a 3 goal lead into the second leg. But Panthers will take heart from their 3rd period display.

Attendance: 1434
Man-of-the-Match for Ayr Scottish Eagles: Johan Molin
Man-of-the-Match for Nottingham Panthers: Lee Jinman

So far this season Jimmy Paek had played 40 games for Anchorage Aces for a total of 29 points (1 goal and 28 Assists) with 12 penalty minutes. The news of his return was welcomed by his team mates from last season. Barry Nieckar said it was awesome to have him back with P.C. Drouin saying it was great news.

More Details regarding Jimmy Paek's Return
The Korean born ex-NHLer has been recruited to replace Frank Evans who asked for release from his contract a fortnight ago for personal reasons.

Said Paek, who has been playing with Anchorage in the West Coast Hockey League where he was assistant Coach. "Circumstances here have changed in recent weeks and when Panthers got in touch I was extremely interested in a possible return and a deal was quickly reached, but I did ask Nottingham to keep things under wraps while I sorted out matters with the Aces."

Panthers' General Manager, Gary Moran, said. "Our coaching staff drew up a short-list of players on their wish list to join the team for the run-in. Jim Paek was a unanimous choice. He is a class act both on and off the ice and I think he will add a new dimension to things, we all know what he can do. "When we checked around to see what else was available there was nothing out there to compare to Jimmy. Thanks to some help from a couple of sponsors, CVS and Academy Property Services, we have been able to put a package together that means Jim will be back in a Panthers uniform throughout February and March."

The Panthers opened the scoring after eight minutes with captain Joel Poirier forcing home a rebound from Greg Hadden. The Panthers had to wait until the final minute to secure the points as P.C. Drouin netted his 16th of the season following good work from Lee Jinman.

The third period also saw Panthers' Ashley Tait and Knights' Nate Leslie drop the gloves with both getting five minutes for fighting. Tait also received an extra two minutes for cross checking as well as a standing ovation from the Panthers fans and players.

Tonights performance was alot better defensively but despite having 32 shots on goal and hitting the post twice from Savoie and Drouin, the Panthers failed to create many chances. The Panthers next game sees them travel to Ayr on Wednesday for the first leg of the Challenge Cup Semi-Final.

Man of the Match:-
For the Nottingham Panthers - #31 Danny Lorenz
For the London Knights - #12 Maurizio Mansi

I wonder -- Is Jimmy Peak to return to the Panthers and replace defenceman Frank Evans who was released from his contract due to personal reasons.

A short-handed goal from Chris Lipsett gave the Steelers the lead after eight minutes but their joy lasted only six minutes before Greg Hadden tied the game with his 20th of the season. The Panthers then took the lead with a minute to go in the first after Christain Sjogren scored for the second game running. The goal came just as the Steelers returned to full strength following a 5 on 3 advantage for the Panthers.

The Steelers had the better of the second period out-shooting the Panthers 14 to 6 and regained the lead with two goals in four minutes, firstly from Chris Lipsett who netted his second of the night and then former Panthers defenceman Jeff Sebastian who scored what turned out to be the game winner.

The third period saw no further goals despite the Panthers pulling netminder Danny Lorenz with 50 seconds to go, the period also saw just two penalties called with the Panthers again being called for having too many men on the ice.

Man of the Match:-
For the Sheffield Steelers - #24 Chris Lipsett
For the Nottingham Panthers - #31 Danny Lorenz

After falling behind to the early goal, the Panthers seemed to be lacking ideas with the exception of the third line (Sjogren, Moria, Nieckar) and it was this line that finally got the Panthers back level after 11 minutes as Christain Sjogren netted his first goal as a Panther. A lucky goal from Steve Moria, which looped over netminder Greer and despite attempts to clear, crossed the line just two minutes later to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead at the end of the first.

The Bees levelled the game after excellent finish from defenceman Brad Peddle after 26 minutes. The Panthers thought they had regained the lead less than three minutes later after the puck found it's way into the net but the goal was ruled out as Panthers captain Joel Poirier was adjusted to have took the net of it's moorings. However, on the very next shift the Panthers did regain the lead thanks to Steve Moria who netted his second of the night following attempts on goal from Nieckar and Sjogren. The Panthers then hit penalty trouble but managed to kill the man advantages to Bracknell.

The Panthers got the only goal of an end to end third period courtesy of defenceman Jimmy Drolet who netted his 6th goal of the season against his former team. The Panthers had to kill yet more penalties before the end of the game after P.C. Drouin and Lee Jinman who were called for Slashing, which they did to secure their first win of 2002.

Tonight saw a much better performance than against Sheffield on Sunday especially from defenceman Jimmy Drolet and the third line of Christain Sjogren, Steve Moria and Barry Nieckar but I feel they will have to play even better in a weeks time against the Ayr Scottish Eagles if they are to give themselves a chance of making the Challenge Cup Final. But before they can think of the Semi-final against Ayr, they have the little matter of facing rivals Sheffield at the Sheffield Arena on Saturday and the London Knights at the N.I.C on Sunday (Face Off 5pm).

Man of the Match:-
For the Nottingham Panthers - #19 Steve Moria
For the Bracknell Bees - #10 Brad Peddle

It took Scott Allison (December�s Face to Watch) just 47 seconds to open the scoring, following a give away and a bad line change by the Panthers, which allowed Allison to go one-on-one with Lorenz. The rest of the period was pretty even, with both sides having 10 shots on goal.

The Panthers dominated the second period, out shooting the Steelers 15 � 8 but still trailing at the end of the period, this time by 2 goals to 1. Panthers finally levelled the game just as the Steelers returned to full strength following a penalty to Brent Bobyck as Claude Savoie turned in his 10th of the season at the far post. Steelers regained the lead just four minutes later as they broke 2 on 1 allowing Allison to set up Lauer for an easy tap in.

The game was tied again a minute into the third, as Jimmy Drolet fired home (although it appeared to be Savoie who scored). The Panthers then wasted a 5 on 3 power play with ten-minute left on the clock, as the Steelers easily killed the disadvantage with the Panthers continually dumping and chasing instead o creating opportunities.

The Panthers will try again on Wednesday at home to the Bracknell Bees (face off 7-30pm) to win their first game of 2002.

Man of the Match:-
For the Nottingham Panthers - #5 Patrik Wallenberg
For the Sheffield Steelers - #1 Eoin McInerney

The Bees took the lead after just 2 minutes with the only goal of the period from their new signing ex NHL winger, Daniel Goneau. The first Period was end-to-end hockey, but according to statistics the Panthers were still heavily out-shot, 19 � 4.

Panthers started the second period on fire and levelled the game after a mistake by Bees d-man Brad Peddle, and the chance being snapped up by P.C. Drouin. Panthers took the lead just 2 minutes later thanks to Wallenberg for his 15th of the season. But 2 power play goals in a minute from Sam Ftorek saw the Bees quickly regain the lead. The lead lasted just 4 minutes for Bracknell as Calle Carlsson fired home to tie the game.

The Final period saw no more goals, but the Panthers had to kill a penalty in the final 2 minutes of the game as Brent Pope took a needless holding penalty. This game saw the Panthers hold on for their 3rd point of the season at the Hive. Panthers out shot the Bees in the third Period 9 � 5, but the Bees had the overall advantage with 31 � 21.

Man of the Match:-
For the Bracknell Bees - #14 Sam Ftorek
For the Nottingham Panthers - #31 Danny Lorenz

Drouin received 43% of the vote to win player of the month narrowly beating October's winner Lee Jinman who came second with 40%, while Panthers netminder Danny Lorenz came third with just 7% of the vote.

Following the announcement, the Panthers have confirmed that they are looking at three or four possible replacements and promise the fans that they won't be disappointed by his replacement. Already Duncan Paterson and Jimmy Paek have been mentioned as the player, fans would like to see as Frank Evans replacement.

Despite being out-shot (16-9) during the first period, the Panthers led at the end of the period thanks to Greg Hadden's 18th of the season after ten minutes. The first period also saw Lee Jinman take a 10 minute misconduct after a dubious call against him for slashing.

The Panthers seemed to be cruising during the second until the bizarre rule turned the game on its head. It started with Panthers' Drolet and Eagles' Harding being given two minutes each for roughing at 35:51, 39 seconds later Frank Evans also took a two minute penalty for roughing giving the Eagles a 4 on 3 advantage. During this advantage the Eagles appeared to have 5 skaters on the ice and while Randall Weber was arguing the point with referee Rowe, Ed Courtenay set up Jon Weaver to level the score. At this point it is Drolet who is let out of the box, which gave the Eagles another powerplay when Harding left the box, which allowed Byram to fire home for the Eagles second powerplay goal on a penalty to Frank Evans.

The 3rd period saw the Panthers have lots of pressure but fail to the pressure into goals, the Eagles increased their lead with nine minutes to go as Bauba scored on rebound from Courtenay. The Panthers did manage to pull one back as Hadden scored his second of the night with two minutes to go and despite pulling Lorenz the Panthers were unable to level the game.

The Panthers will be looking to get back to winning ways next weekend when they travel to Bracknell on Saturday before entertaining the Sheffield Steelers at the N.I.C on Sunday.

RUMOUR:- There is a rumour going around that Frank Evans has left the Panthers after last nights game, I will let you know when I hear anything further concerning this rumour.

The Panthers started the game slowly and managed just 3 shots on goal in the first period. The Manchester Storm opened the scoring after 15 minutes in controversial fashion after Panthers netminder Danny Lorenz was checked by Storm's Paul Ferone leaving an easy goal for Mike Morin. The Storm increased their lead after 22 minutes thanks to Mark Bultje and sealed the game ten minutes later through a Pierre Allard goal.

The Panthers finally woke up in the third period and created some chances but only had a powerplay goal from Steve Moria to show for there efforts. At 53:10 the Panthers hit penalty trouble yet again, firstly Barry Nieckar received a two minute penalty for holding the stick, the Panthers were not happy with call and both Nieckar and Captain Joel Poirier question the call. However referee Moray Hanson took exception to this and hand both of them 10 minute and game misconduct penalties.

The Panthers will have to be much better than tonight, if they are to get anything from tomorrow nights game against the Ayr Scottish Eagles at the National Ice Centre. The Panthers also think they will be without the services of Barry Nieckar following his game misconduct penalty tonight.

FIXTURES
The Panthers home game against Bracknell Bees on Wednesday 16th January has now been confirmed. Face off is 7.30 pm.

The first leg of the Challenge Cup Semi final has not yet been confirmed by the Ice Hockey Superleague�. The second leg of the Challenge Cup Semi final will take place at the National Ice Centre on Saturday 9th February. The Panthers will play either Bracknell or Ayr. This match is included on the Season Ticket..!

DYNAMO MOSCOW
Dynamo Moscow completed their tour of Britain in style by beating the Sheffield Steelers 5-1 thanks to goals from Terestchenko, Kuvaldin, Ivanov, Kartsev and Kuclashov, Sheffield's goal came from Scott Allison.

Moscow's final game saw them beat bottom of the table Manchester Storm 6-3 thanks to goals from Savtchenkov (2), Ivanov, Lapin, Skopintaev and Kudashov, Manchester's goal were scored by Romaniuk, Allard and Gallant.

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