End of season thoughts

I wasn't expecting to be writing this now, but here we are. The EIHL decided to call off the season on Friday, and whilst it absolutely was the right decision, it does sting a bit, as I genuinely think that this is the best Panthers team we've seen in many years. I never thought I'd be saying that after the mess we were in during October, when the season being called off would've been a blessing. Looking at the problems we had in my article for the Cat's Whiskers back then and comparing it to where we've found ourselves is truly incredible. The resilience and work ethic shown allowed us to sneak into the title race, and were even some people's favorites to be crowned champions for a very brief period. 

The early months of the season weren't even a blip. We found ourselves in a literal crisis. Years of failure made game night somewhat of a chore for fans, and after a summer rebuild, it didn't just remain the same, it got worse. As in, heading to the bottom of the league worse. A horrendous run of 2 wins in 12 surely secured the downward spiral we had experienced since winning it all in 2013, which had people getting disgruntled at not just the coach and players, but the ownership. It seemed like this supposed new era part 2 had finished before it even begun, and for many of the Panthers faithful, it was looking to be the final straw. 

Quite suddenly though, it started to click. Jake Hansen's debut goal in Cardiff helped spark a shock 2-1 win to end a long losing run, and after Sam Herr's honest and blunt rallying call in an interview following defeat to Manchester, he scored a last minute winner against Fife. A loss in Coventry the next day would be followed by a run of 9 wins in 11 domestic games as Panthers started to turn heads and work their way up the table. 

Their only 2 losses within that run were to Sheffield. The saga against our Yorkshire rivals was quite bleak overall this season, especially at the House of Steel. Throughout the first 4 visits there, we had 3-0, 2-0, 4-2 and another 2-0 lead and didn't win a single one in regulation (only one was won at all). Added to the fact we lost all of our home league games to a Steelers team who were fellow title contenders, and its probably the biggest factor after our early season form that the top spot eventually was out of reach. 

Picking up 3 points in the each of the 2 victories in Sheffield was a certain number 41, who has been...alright. Translation: The best player in the entire Elite League. I am struggling to put into words what a find Sam Herr has been. Regardless of how the team was playing, he turned up pretty much every single game. Herr owned the offensive zone and his ability to get into scoring positions and vision made him one of the most exciting players ever seen in the EIHL. He finishes the season at the top of the point scoring charts, and retaining him must be THE priority this off season as it's clear that we've found a Panthers great. His boxing day performance against Coventry was like something out of a dream, which saw him score 4 goals in a 10 minute period that was, to be frank, completely nuts. 

Another iconic Herr moment came in a sensational comeback from 3-0 down against Polish side Cracovia with a last second goal to keep our hopes of a second European trophy alive. That takes me onto our Continental Cup run. At the start of the season, this was honestly the only trophy I thought we'd win. After making it to the final round, it was a shootout loss to the eventual champions on the Friday that proved to be the difference as Panthers narrowly came up short. 

Jake Hansen was the clubs top scorer during our European campaign, who joins Jullian Talbot, Ryan Horvat, Mathieu Tousingnant and Jason Binkley in the mid season recruits category. Director of hockey Guillaume Doucet has done a phenomenal job to bring these players in, who have made a massive difference to the on ice performances, and could very well be part of the core for the 2020/21 campaign. Doucet has made heaps of progress since taking on his new role, and it certainly bodes well going into the now extended off season, as he and Tim Wallace work together to build a title contender. Wallace was a question mark for some in the summer despite doing a great job with a Milton Keynes team who was on the brink. Could he handle the dramatic increase in expectations? Yes, he did. He's provided us with an entertaining brand of fast, attacking brand of hockey, with players who give their all every game, which is something we arguably haven't seen for a while in Nottingham. The batterings handed out to Sheffield (5-1), Belfast (4-0) and Cardiff (7-3) towards the end of the season showed just how lethal the Panthers could be. 

Panthers have an identity again, and can finally enter the second phase of the rebuild. A large chunk of our imports are more than worthy of staying on, and optimistic is the best way to describe how I feel about the clubs chances of success going forward. We do need to upgrade in some areas, particularly physically, as I do believe we have been bullied by some teams this season. Teams that forecheck hard, like Cardiff, Guildford and Coventry, although we are capable of doing it in return, have often been a headache, but overall we can pose a threat if we roll with the majority of what we have. Players such as Herr, Matheson and Talbot are players we should certainly build around. Also, with the slight reduction in import limits, does Jackson Whistle make a case to be our starting netminder? This is one of many questions that will be on people's minds throughout the spring/summer months, that I intend to go over in a later article. 

To summarise, I've been entertained this season, and that's the most important factor as a fan. The team fought back from adversity and gave those at the top a fright. Going into the off season, it's now a case of tweeks rather than an overhaul. 

Roll on August!