Thursday: Panthers and Giants in cup action LIVE on Viaplay
Photo: Panthers Images
Nottingham Panthers and Belfast Giants meet in the Viaplay Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals as the hockey action continues this week in the Elite League - pre-game build-up starts at 7pm.
While we learned two of the Semi-Finalists on Wednesday night, tonight the Panthers have home advantage in the first leg of their series against the defending league and cup champions.
Panthers were the lowest seeds from the Group Stage, qualifying with only six points form eight games; Belfast, on the other hand, won all six of their Group A fixtures to go through with a perfect record.
It's not been a great few weeks for either team. The Giants ended a three-game winless run with a narrow home victory over Dundee on Sunday but with injuries aplenty they've yet to find their stride this season - Adam Keefe's men have won only four of their last 10 games. The Panthers, meanwhile, have only won two games since Corey Neilson returned as Head Coach, but Sunday's victory over Cardiff will give them some confidence going into this matchup.
The Challenge Cup was a special trophy for Neilson during his previous tenure, winning it six times in total.
