Mid-term Report: Nottingham Panthers
Photo: Panthers Images
With a new man behind the bench for this season, Nottingham Panthers had a slow start under Tim Wallace but have suddenly seemed to find their stride.
The Panthers are the league's best team over the last 10 games and have moved themselves up into the pack chasing the top places.
Hear Head Coach Tim Wallace's thoughts on the season so far in the video above.
We've also had thoughts from BBC Radio Nottingham's Chris Gadsby:
"After a summer of change both on and off the ice for the Panthers, the first half of this season was always going to be a bit of a step into the unknown with plenty of questions that needed answers: How would Gui Doucet and Tim Wallace settle into their roles, and how would this almost completely new squad, with only six players who featured in the 9-4 defeat to Cardiff in last year’s playoff semi-final, gel as a team and cope in the Elite League?
Look directly at the results in the first 34 games (including the Challenge Cup and the Continental Cup) and this is very much a first half of two halves itself. In the first 17 games Panthers went 6-8-3 for 15 points and in the second 17 games have gone 12-4-1 for 25 points. After a couple of wins to start the league campaign, no win in over a month in the competition saw Wallace’s side flirting with the bottom two and fans questioning whether he was the right man to guide the Panthers to silverware.
Things needed to change and Doucet and Wallace quickly showed they were not afraid to make changes to the lineup. Their hand was forced when Alexis Loiseau retired with injury but the decision to part ways with Jens Jakobs and bring Jake Hansen in the following weekend showed the fans and the rest of the squad that they were keen to move up the standings. Hansen immediately made an impact, scoring on his debut in the away victory in Cardiff which broke the seven-game losing streak. In the 21 games he’s been with the club so far, he’s accumulated 24 points and a +/- of 13.
The other mid-season signings have also made an impact. Jullian Talbot has made a huge difference in the face-off circle and is only just shy of a point per game with 13 in 15, and latest signing Ryan Horvat made an impression on his debut last Wednesday night against Manchester with a goal and two assists, adding two assists against Coventry on Saturday night which has been giving the fans plenty to smile about.
The team is much improved from the one which started the season and full credit to Gui and Tim for sticking to their game plan and not losing their heads when things weren’t going their way. Panthers have got through an early blip, are now only six points off the top of the table with three games in hand, are looking good in the Quarter-Finals of the Challenge Cup after the 5-1 victory on Wednesday night, and are in the final of the Continental Cup. Even though the current league standings show Panthers in sixth there’s no need to panic. Panthers are still in every competition and are far from out of the league race."
