Manchester Storm Edge Panthers 2-1 in Playoff First Leg Behind Tyler Hinam Goal

Manchester Storm edged the Nottingham Panthers 2-1 in the first leg of their British Elite Ice Hockey League playoff quarter-final at the National Ice Centre on Saturday. Tyler Hinam and Kyle Locke each scored for the Storm while Matt Marcinew’s late goal for Nottingham kept the series alive heading into Sunday’s decisive second leg at the Motorpoint Arena.

The Storm struck twice in a span of three-and-a-half minutes in the first period to take a commanding two-goal lead. Kyle Locke opened the scoring at 10:14 when his shot from the right point deflected past Kevin Carr. Just over three minutes later, Locke assisted Tyler Hinam on a backdoor goal at 13:43.

The Panthers struggled to generate consistent scoring chances in the second period. Carr made key saves on Gary Haden and a pair of chances from David Noël and Didrik Henbrant. The Panthers’ netminder, starting in place of the injured Jarod Hilderman, stopped 18 of 20 shots through two periods.

Nottingham pushed hard in the early stages of the third, with Chase Pearson and Mitch Fossier combining to set up Marcinew for a backdoor goal at 57:23. The goal cut the deficit to one and set up a dramatic finale in the first leg.

The Storm had a golden opportunity to restore their two-goal lead when Brady Gilmour hit the crossbar late in the game. Despite the near miss, Manchester held on for the one-goal victory.

Nottingham was without key forwards Matt Alfaro and Brendan Harris due to injury, a factor that clearly impacted their offensive production. Carr finished with 31 saves in the losing effort while Storm goaltender Drew DeRidder stopped 26 shots to preserve the lead.

The second leg of the best-of-one series will be played Sunday at the sold-out Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. The winner will advance to the Playoff Finals Weekend. Jono Bullard and former Panthers goaltender Dan Green will provide commentary for the webcast.