Grande logs second straight shutout in Panthers' win

Photo: Panthers Images

Jason Grande logged his second shutout this week as Nottingham Panthers beat Dundee Stars 4-0 in front of 6,588 fans at the Motorpoint Arena.

The Panthers were ahead inside ten minutes. Quinn Wichers got onto a rebound from his own shot on a delayed penalty to open the scoring at 9:12 after a pass into the slot from Mitchell Fossier. The goal was Wichers' first of the season. Both teams killed off a penalty to end the period with the Panthers ahead by one.

Goals just over seven minutes apart put the Panthers in total control of the game in period two, despite Dundee arguably having more chances in the middle session. Fossier fed the puck into the slot for Tim Doherty to beat Jarrett Fiske 6:56 into the period, while 72 seconds later Matt Alfaro capped some nice Panthers passing to make it 3-0. Didrik Henbrant one-timed Kris Kontos' feed from below the goal line to make it four at 33:50. Both sides hit the iron in the period with the game at 1-0, and had Stars scored it could have been very different.

Period three passed off with both sides killing a penalty each but nothing else in the way of scoring, allowing the Panthers to cut the gap on second to just a point.