EIHL Play-off Weekend Review – Chapter 2
Semi-Final 2: Nottingham Panthers v Hull Stingrays
There are some sporting occasions that demand the attention of the media types writing about them in the same way an arresting landscape demands to be captured by an avid photographer. Some games where the keyboard thrills to the touch of the intrepid journalist as it experiences through their frenetic fingers the passion, the tension, the drama and the excitement of said contest, and the reader devours the resulting report like a favourite meal, savouring each well-phrased memory like a tasty morsel as they relive a spectacle that they were privileged to be a part of.
Sadly, this was not one of those games.
There was no doubting the allegiance of the many neutral fans in the building: everyone loves a plucky underdog and they don’t come any more plucky than Hull, whose win over the Sheffield Steelers was one of the biggest surprises of the Elite League season. I hoped against hope that they would show up against the Panthers and take the game to them; the second semi-final had a lot to live up to after the first one and there was no denying the feeling around the NIC was one of vague anti-climax.
The opening exchanges between the sides were scrappy but the crowd were in fine voice. Hull flailed early on but netminder Christian Boucher made an assured save from a Brandon Benedict breakaway effort and settled the jangling nerves. The early signs were worrying for the ‘Rays fans. The Panthers looked up for it and were playing their fluid, attacking style of hockey with aplomb. Hull weren’t rolling over however, and despite the nerves showed some guts, throwing some big hits and getting involved when their hosts allowed them to.
They were like rabbits in the headlights going forward however, unable to make any impression on the Nottingham goal, and soon Nottingham were off the mark, the goal coming from a delayed penalty 6-on-5 situation, David Clarke the scorer. Boucher made a great save to deny the Panthers a second and it looked for a moment as if we may have a tied game on our hands as Jereme Tendler broke away up the ice but he was stopped by Craig Kowalski. Boucher once again came up big for Hull making an outstanding double save and Hull killed a Nottingham powerplay, before a spot of roughing between David-Alexandre Beauregard and Sylvain Cloutier resulted in some 4-on-4 action. The first period closed with Panthers just one goal to the good and it seemed as though Hull might be in this game for the long haul.
This theory was quickly disproved as the second period opened however, Nottingham scoring two goals in the space of thirty seconds from Marc Levers and Sami Ryhanen to knock the wind out of Hull. It was clear who’d had their Weetabix in the period break. Boucher looked like a different netminder, his confidence rocked, and it felt as though all the life had been completely sucked out of the game, Hull deflated, the Panthers fans jubilant.
There was life in the old dog yet however, as despite all members of the crowd to a person admitting this one was 99.9% decided, Hull had a powerplay and were unlucky not to score, Boucher getting his act together once again and blocking a few shots, and finally, after a successful penalty kill, Hull scored, Jason Silverthorn sending the Stingrays fans crazy, and neutrals asking the hockey gods if perhaps we could have ourselves a game now, thank you very much?
Apparently not. Just over a minute later David Clarke struck to make it 4-1 and restore the 3-goal cushion, and completing another killer double blow to the ‘Rays chances of staying competitive in the game, Rhett Gordon made it 5-1 less than a minute after that. The Panthers were more than dominant and were stabbing the already flailing corpse of this poor, battered game without sympathy. It was clinical. Just in case we were in any doubt they scored yet again just before the end of the period to compound Hull’s misery, and surrounded by Nottingham’s celebrating fans I felt something of the pain of being the ‘little club’, head in hands, the cold hand of inevitably gaining a creeping hold on the pit of my stomach.
Nobody felt much like a third period, but something or other, perhaps the ‘nothing to lose’ factor had given Hull a boost, and Boucher settled the ship before they scored a second goal from Derek Campbell. It would not lift the spirits for long however, a cruel bounce seeing the puck skip over Boucher’s head from an attempted glove save to make it 8-2. Hull bit back, nailing Panthers to boards. Dan Green came into the net for Nottingham. They scored again. I didn’t win the 50/50. To add insult to already massive injury, Jordan Fox clinically despatched a tenth goal. I worried for the Devils in the final with Nottingham in this form. I worried for the Hull fans in the pubs of Nottingham after this game. There were five minutes left but I had lost my mojo. The embarrassing scoreline became mildly less so as Cloutier scored a third for Hull and gallows humour prevailed: ‘We’re going to win 11-10.’ It didn’t even sound right. I needed a pint. So did everyone else.
And that was that. The sound of the final horn had never been so welcome. The underdogs were just that, the Panthers victorious: they would go on to challenge Cardiff in the 2012 play-off final. It promised to be a thrilling contest. Or at least, that’s what we hoped, after this damp squib of a semi.
