GAME THREAD: Panthers v Steelers: Cup Semi-final 1st Leg: Wed 18th Feb

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Doom
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A very disappointing result.

I can't see us turning this around, because we only really have one way of playing and Nottingham will nullify that by playing safety first hockey and keeping us on the outside.

I guess the best hope is we get one early and the players and crowd get a lift, but I think 3 goals is just too much against this Panthers team.

If anybody has flu right now, could I suggest you drive down to Nottingham to watch their training session. :)

Regards

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Brian
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Seems like we are Big Tine Charlies at the moment. We can take apart the weaker teams
easily but when we come up against the stronger outfits we play like lemons. No idea why but it seems we have reached the point where we say " Well , we still have the playoffs !".....
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MLL79
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Didn’t manage to catch the game due to other commitments, but uphill battle would be an understatement I guess..

Wasn’t expecting this after beating Cardiff away by a decent score line - wondering what changed and can only assume (what’s the saying on that again…) but sounds like again heads down after a player injured and no team stand-up?

I don’t know as I didn’t see it, but if that’s the case I had high hopes Ritchie, being an ex-Dallas Stars enforcer (see YouTube), would bring some much needed morale/confidence/spirit inspiring backbone to the team in that department.

Any takers on 4-1 at home and OT/Pens for leg 2?
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MLL79
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:slaphead:
Nathan wrote:
Wed Feb 18, 2026 9:24 pm
Official account at it again...
That’s brilliant - post a picture of the goalie looking right at the puck and shooter through the clear gap with that caption…
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lovedenisvial
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If you play sorry! defend like that in the first period in any game you will loose!!! Simply amateurish! we gave the puck away so many times and didn't clear our lines cleanly, we got exactly what we deserved NOTHING!
The other two periods were as you would expect from the previous performances. tight with very few clear opportunities. Best team won or one team only played for 40 minutes.
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MLL79
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It seems to have been a consistent problem this year with the clearance, and passing play generally. Until very recently with Watling, Ritchie and Heard joining (and re-joining lol) the team I’d felt for a while our play, other than some good very early linkup Balmas-Gentile (which faded), was very broken and piecemeal. Very much tip/dump and hope, which I thought had turned a corner lately, and we were seeing much much more linked up/instinctive/passing play generally.

Clearing D shouldn’t be this problematic so frequently, we have some very good puck carriers and rushing D men - Cormier, Southorn, Diffley, lesser so Tansey as although more than capable he’s more stay at home (any word on the injury here? Hoping he’s not out for much longer but but starting to worry now it’s longer term).

I don’t know if others agree, but I feel like it’s been such a frustrating season so far as I think we can all see we seemingly have the puzzle pieces.

All that said, as others have pointed out - we’re not out yet.
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jas
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I didn't go, but that looks like a very bad first period. If we had played it like the second and third we would have been coming back to our barn on equal terms and in with a good shout but now we have got an uphill battle
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greeny
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Game On

i know our defence is not the best but you really would of expected us to be on the scoresheet with some of the players we have in our team,,,,, really dissapointed with that result,,,,
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