Great Britain international Brett Perlini’s brace proved in vain as Nottingham Panthers were beaten 4-2 by Manchester Storm in the Elite Series.
Storm went ahead at 1:49 as British forward Ben Lake tipped in Martin Gran’s blueline shot, with Ben Solder getting the other assist.
Brett Perlini broke clear to equalise for the Panthers (12:10) but Manchester regained their lead through Maxime Fortier’s rebound, with Dallas Ehrhardt and Scott Simmonds getting the assists (13:46).
Perlini’s neat five-hole finish (16:38) ensured Panthers were level at two at the first intermission.
Ehrhardt fed Tyson Fawcett whose shot from the blueline was tipped in by Cameron Critchlow at 31:03 (powerplay) as Manchester went ahead for a third time for a one-goal lead at the end of the second period.
Martin Gran wrapped the game up with a neat finish at 55:57 – after a pass from Lake – as the Storm secured their third regulation-time victory.
Four teams – Coventry Blaze, Manchester Storm, Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers – are competing in the 2021 Elite Series at the National Ice Centre.
The event has been organised under the government’s Elite Sport Guidance, with regular testing and a full covid-19 protocol in place.
The tournament is forming part of Great Britain’s preparations for the upcoming World Championship in Latvia.
All games are available to watch on a live stream – click here for more details and to purchase the webcasts.
Photo credit: Mark Ferriss.