Mann sealed victory late on

Nottingham Panthers booked their place in the Challenge Cup final with a 3-1 home win over arch-rivals Sheffield Steelers in the semi-final second leg.

Panthers, who were 4-2 up after the first leg in Sheffield, went ahead in the second period through Kevin Bergin.

Bruce Richardson doubled the advantage and although Doug Sheppard pulled a goal back, a late empty-net effort from Cameron Mann sealed the win.

Panthers will play Cardiff Devils in the two-legged final.

Corey Neilson's Panthers side were in confident mood heading into the match after a resounding first-leg success.

But a crowd of more than 5,000 had little to get excited about from a dull and goalless opening period.

That changed four minutes into the second period when Bergin scored on the rebound after a spell of sustained pressure.

And assistant coach Richardson made it 2-0 following some clever interplay between Jay Henderson and Marty Gascon.

At 6-2 the game was as good as over and although Sheppard's tidy close-range finish gave Steelers a glimmer of hope, Mann rounded off the evening late after Steelers pulled their netminder.

The dates for the final against Cardiff are yet to be announced.

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version