The Black and Gold Wire

Prior to the 2011 playoff semi final, the Panthers had never beaten arch rivals Sheffield at a finals weekend. This was despite having numerous opportunities to do so through the years.  After coming from 2-0 down, a thriller at the NIC was headed to overtime. Youngster Robert Lachowicz, who had experienced a 32 point breakout season, was given the most important shift of his career yet, and would not disappoint.  After a great turn and go to escape the helpless Rod Sarich, he would find Matthew Myers whose backhand on net was fumbled by Ervins Mustukovs. It would be Lachowicz who pounced the loose puck to bury it and send the Panthers faithful into pandemonium. The lad from Beeston had written his place in the history books.  The victory over Cardiff in the final the following day would secure the first multi trophy season in club history and kickstart the clubs golden era. Lachowicz played a massive part in this era, arguably a much bigger one than people give him credit for.  The fi

The world is slowly returning to normal, as is the EIHL, with signing news rolling in across the country.  Panthers are up there with the most active in the player market as it stands, at least in terms of signings made public. They have the second most confirmed players for next season after Cardiff, with 13, so there's a lot to assess.  I always try to be mostly optimistic when it comes to watching the roster come together, because Elite Prospects only tells part of the story. On the flip side though, I can not help but feel a little concerned when comparing the roster to our rivals.  Take Sheffield for instance. They have retained their 4 top scoring players from 2019/20. Cardiff are continuing to add a range of experience from some of the world's top leagues. As for Belfast, bringing back Beskowarany, Murphy and Raine is outstanding business.  Of course though, Panthers fans know better than anyone that a players CV can be very misleading. Arguably our best player right now