The halfway point

Character and resilience is so important when you are on a bad run of form. The Panthers showed just that in last night's win against the Manchester Storm. 

When we were 3-2 down in the third period, the article I had in mind was very different. Panthers had been chasing the game and were heading to the halfway point of the Elite Series at the bottom of the standings with just one win to their name. 

Lewis Hook's equaliser felt significant though. For the third time in the game, Panthers had come back to tie it up. Despite being on the backfoot, there was a sense of determination in the side that had grown stronger as the game went on. 

Our other two goals had come on the powerplay, which prior to this game was statistically the worst in the tournament. Panthers were moving the puck with purpose and confidence this time around though. A big reason for that was the phenomenal hockey IQ of Mark Matheson, who assisted both powerplay goals. 

That's not to say I want to completely sugar-coat the performance. We were sloppy, our defensive looked shaky and we misplaced a lot of passes. It could not have been clearer that confidence across the team was shot when we were playing 5 on 5 hockey. Two zero point weekends in a row had clearly taken it's toll. 

It would feel a bit of a reactionary statement to call this win a turning point, because what happens in our upcoming games will determine if that is the case. Playing the way we did against the Storm on Friday when we face the red hot Sheffield Steelers will not get us the win. 

Our Yorkshire rivals are by far the best team in the tournament, and have averaged 6.75 goals during their 4 game winning streak. After conceding 8 to them last week including 5 in the first period, I struggle to see us matching them, but lets not forget Ben Bowns was supposedly carrying an injury. 

Whether he'll start Friday is an interesting debate. He'll be going in fresh after nearly a week without playing, but Jackson Whistle is the man in form. The GB deputy made 37 saves against the Storm, some of which he'll be adding to his highlight reel. He's a goaltender who seems to be at his best when he's busy, and that's very likely to be the case against his former side. Regardless of who plays, it's a good dilemma for Tim Wallace to have. 

The tournament may not mean a lot in the grand scheme of things, but a lot weighs on our games against the Steelers, because 6 straight wins at the NIC for Matthew Myers side (god it feels weird saying that) is not acceptable in any context. It's purely a pride thing I guess. Conceding 8 to them last week just makes it even more infuriating and fans have every right to be frustrated. 

A win on Friday and we definitely can consider it a turning point. Ending the Steelers winning run both in the tournament and in our barn would give the club a massive lift in this tournament. We need to step it up a notch though. 

Several players are very much on form, including Austin Cangelosi, who got 3 assists against the Storm and looks to be our best import signing right now. He seems like a quicker version of Julian Talbot who brings out the best in his linemates, as well as leading the league in faceoff wins. It is a shame he will not be back next season, having agreed to a contract in Norway. 

Christophe Boivin is scoring at a rate of over a point per game, and got the OT winner after a nice give and go with Cangelosi. He's quick and is not afraid of tight spaces. I stated at the start of the tournament that finding players for our core next season should be a big priority and Boivin is making a strong case. 

Regarding our Brit quota, Lewis Hook and Josh Tetlow have been standouts. Both are logging big minutes and deserve to be trusted when we play the Steelers. Hook was getting stuck in physically and his goal was a deadly finish, as was his goal last week against the same opposition. Players who are able to do that at key points during the game are crucial assets. 

Being at the bottom of the standings is not ideal by any means, but the shortness of the Elite Series means one win makes a big difference. Our win percentage has gone from 20% to 33% after beating the Storm showing how big of an improvement one result can be.

What is key now is that the Panthers turn this win into momentum. The thrill of a 3-on-3 overtime goal to end a game that was nothing short of a grind will surely do that, but the Steelers are different gravy right now. We need to be more organised in defence and efficient in our passing. Whilst Whistle might be able to bail us out, he's not a miracle worker and the Steelers offence will be his toughest test so far. 

It's not been the best showing from the Panthers so far in the Elite Series, but Tim Wallace proved last season he can turn around a team that is facing adversity. He now has to do it again in a much shorter space of time, but there's no denying last night's win is a huge step in the right direction!