Nottingham Panthers beat Sheffield Steelers 4-2 in the first leg of the Challenge Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

Panthers romped into a 3-0 first-period lead thanks to a debut strike from Jay Henderson and further goals from Cameron Mann and Marty Gascon.

Visiting keeper Kevin St Pierre made some fine saves to keep Steelers at bay in the second period and David Clarke made it 4-0 at the start of the third.

But Sheffield hit back late on through Joey Talbot and Jonathan Zion.

Sheffield's spirited final-period response sets up an intriguing second leg at the National Ice Centre on Wednesday, 10 February.

You can now subscribe to BBC Radio Nottingham's Nottingham Panthers podcast for exclusive news and behind-the-scenes access to the players and characters at the club.

This weekly free download is presented by Chris Ellis, published every Thursday during the season and compiled from Panthers Powerplay bulletins on BBC Radio Nottingham.

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