By Luke McGinnis
The first period in Nottingham saw the Panthers control a large share of the puck possession, but the Stars’ defense held firm, with Jarrett Fiske making several key saves including a point-blank stop on Matthew Marcinew inside the first minute.
Matt Spencer capitalised on sustained pressure by the Panthers, opening the scoring at 03:09 with a shot from the blue line that found its way through traffic and past Fiske.
The first powerplay of the night went to the home side after Keanu Yamamoto was called for slashing. Brendan Harris had the best opportunity for Nottingham, but Dundee’s penalty kill stood tall, keeping the score at 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
It took just over a minute into the second period for the Stars to equalise, as Hampus Olsson made it 1-1 at 21:10. Justin Bean collected the puck at the blue line and carried it along the wall before threading a perfect pass to Olsson in close, who redirected it past Jason Grande.
Ross Armour responded almost immediately at 21:44, redirecting Jarod Hilderman’s shot from the circle past Fiske to regain the Panthers’ lead. After Fiske made an initial pad save, a scramble ensued, and the loose puck fell to Nolan Volcan who fired it into the net at 24:27.
A high-sticking penalty on Bradley Schoonbaert proved costly, as Armour got his second goal of the game on the powerplay at 26:17 — redirecting a pass from Mitch Fossier past Fiske to make it 4-1.
Late in the second period, Craig Moore and Bryan Lemos dropped the gloves after a boarding call against the Stars’ defenseman. Moore got the better of Lemos, giving Dundee a spark of momentum heading into the third period.
The Stars once again came out fast in the third period, testing Jason Grande early with a number of quality chances. A slashing call against Matt Berry put the Panthers back on the powerplay, which Bryan Lemos converted on at 49:18 to make it 5-1.
Bradley Schoonbaert pulled a goal back on the powerplay and made it 5-2 at 53:58, redirecting Justin Bean’s shot from the circle past the pads of Grande. Spencer Naas quickly followed, making it 5-3 at 56:01. A delay of game penalty against Craig Moore put the Stars shorthanded. However, a strong penalty kill by the Stars saw Naas break away with the puck for a 2-on-1 opportunity, which he made no mistake on as he slid the puck past Grande. Despite the late comeback by Dundee, Nottingham held on and secured the two points.
The MKM Dundee Stars will now look to regroup, as they prepare for a midweek game against the Fife Flyers in Kirkcaldy on Wednesday.
