Sun 13 Sep 2026 - 06:00AM
PREVIEW: PANTHERS TRAVEL TO AO ARENA TO FACE STORM
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Nottingham Panthers face Manchester this afternoon for Storm's first competitive game back at the AO Arena for over 20 years (16:00 face-off).
It's part two of a weekend double-header after Panthers won 4-3 last night in a dramatic game at the Motorpoint Arena that went all the way to a shootout.
Miikka Pitkänen opened the scoring and Ben Corbeil netted twice as the game ended 3-3 after regulation-time. There were no goals in overtime but the drama was still to come in the shootout.
Mat Robson stopped all five of Manchester's efforts while Tim Doherty scored for the Panthers as Danny Stewart's side secured the two points.
It's a special time for the Storm who are back in the AO Arena in the centre of Manchester.
They originally moved into the newly-opened Manchester Arena in 1995 and the building was also previously known as the Nynex Arena and MEN Arena.
Manchester won the inaugural Superleague title in 1996 and set a British ice hockey attendance record as over 17,000 people saw them face Sheffield Steelers the following season.
They left the arena in 2002 but played their first game back last Sunday which saw the Steelers secure a 6-5 pre-season victory after penalty-shots.
View from the Bench
Panthers Head Coach, Danny Stewart, said: "Manchester gave us a good test on Saturday. They're a good team and they will compete this season.
"It's exciting to go to a new arena, that doesn't happy very often. It's a quick turnaround but that's not a bad thing. We will look to build off this win."
Team News in association with Candid Digital
Panthers hope to be at full-strength for tonight's game in Manchester with no injury news to report.
Shirt Off His Back: Win Max Grondin's game-worn jersey
Max Grondin's jersey is up for grabs in today's game-worn Shirt Off His Back. Tickets cost £1 and the competition is open until 22:00 on Monday 14th September. Click here to buy your tickets.
Tickets, Webcast and Updates
Panthers will have good support on the road today in Manchester and you can be part of it. Click here to buy tickets via the Storm website.
You can follow all the action live on a Storm TV webcast which can be purchased here.
There'll be updates throughout the game on the Panthers X account.
Next at home: Guildford the visitors on Sunday 20th September
Panthers are back in action at the Motorpoint Arena next weekend as we host Guildford Flames in the Challenge Cup on Sunday (20th September) at 16:00.
It's one of our special theme games as it's Country Night at the Motorpoint Arena, sponsored by The American Barn.
Family Tickets are available for the game and offer discounted admission compared to standard matchnight admission. Please select Block 8 or Block 12 when purchasing your tickets.
Join the #PanthersNation for another big game in the Challenge Cup.