Nottingham Panthers 11-3 Tilburg Trappers
The Nottingham Panthers easily swept aside Dutch side, the Tilburg Trappers, in their first game of the P&O Channel Cup, setting up a deciding clash with fellow Elite League side the Excel Hull Stingrays on Monday.
The Panthers got off to the worst possible start against the Trappers, who lost out 4-3 to the Stingrays on the opening day of the tournament on Saturday and started backup netminder Ian Meierdries, as import defenceman Kory Scoran slapped a bullet past new Panthers keeper Kevin St-Pierre after just 38 seconds.
It would be the only time in the game the Trappers lead as goals from Marc Levers and the reinvigorated Jade Galbraith, who took the Panthers man of the match in this game with 2 goals and three assists, put Nottingham ahead without having played their best.
In the second period the Panthers really began to click in what was their first game of the season. Former NHL forward Cameron Mann beat Meierdres down low for what is expected to be the first of many for the East Midlands side, before the Trappers unexpectedly responded through Dutch international Pieter Van Biezen, who netted on the powerplay after a nice setup pass from Cody Jacobs, pulling the deficit back to two goals at 4-2.
Three quick goals from player-coach Corey Neilson, returnee goalscoring forward Sean McAslan and Ross Dalgleish, signed from Edinburgh this summer, put the Panthers deservedly ahead by five goals as new teammates began to connect well, particularly for the Dalgleish goal, beautifully set up by Mann and Marty Gascon.
The third was all but a formality by this point, with the score at 7-2, however the Panthers did not take their foot off the gas, powering past goals eight and nine, from Galbraith and debutant Dominic D'Armour respectively, before Vanschagen scored his first and the Trappers third.
Inexperienced Brit Mark Hartley replaced St-Pierre in the Panthers net after 52 minutes, just before Nick Toneys rounded off the score with the Panthers 11th of the night, sealing an empathic start to the season.
F Block Blog MOM
Panthers- Jade Galbraith- After allegedly losing pounds of weight during the off-season, Galbraith started the season as his critics hope he will continue.
Trappers- Kory Scoran- His nice slapshot past St-Pierre aside, Scoran was a cool and calm head amongst a Trappers side that looked far too rushed during in the game, both in offence and defence.
