The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze endured a difficult evening at the sold-out Motorpoint Arena, falling 9-2 in the Elite League to the Nottingham Panthers on New Year’s Eve.
Despite flashes of promise, Blaze struggled to contain the Panthers’ relentless offense, conceding three goals in each period. Nottingham’s Didrik Henbrant led the charge with a hat-trick, supported by two-goal performances from Hugo Roy and Otto Nieminen.
The opening period proved decisive as the Panthers struck three times within six minutes to take control. Coventry’s penalty kill was tested early, and Kristof Kontos capitalised on the powerplay at 9.46 to open the scoring. Seconds later, Henbrant doubled the lead with a top-corner finish after a swift counter-attack.
A pivotal moment came when Nick Seitz’s promising two-on-one break was thwarted by Nottingham goaltender Ryan Bednard. Moments later, the Panthers extended their lead as Matt Spencer set up Roy for a backdoor finish at 15.13, leaving Blaze stunned at the intermission.
The second period began poorly for Coventry, with Spencer finding the net just 20 seconds in to make it 4-0. Blaze suffered further setbacks when Grayson Constable was ejected for a major boarding penalty on Jaakko Niskala. Nottingham took full advantage, adding two more goals through Nieminen and a deflection off Henbrant’s pass to end the period 6-0.
Despite the scoreline, Coventry had their chances, including a powerplay following Jordan Kelsall’s ejection for a high cross-check. However, Bednard’s sharp goaltending and the Panthers’ defensive discipline kept the Blaze off the board.
Henbrant completed his hat trick just 43 seconds into the third period, and Roy added another to push the lead to 8-0. Blaze finally broke through at 49.04 with a superb short-handed breakaway finish from Chase Gresock, ending Bednard’s shutout bid and bringing Jason Grande into the Panthers’ net.
Coventry added a second goal late in the game as Nick Seitz converted from close range at 58.43, but it was too little, too late. Nieminen’s highlight-reel strike at 55.33 sealed the game in Nottingham’s favour.
