Sat 12 Sep 2026 - 06:00AM
GAMEDAY PREVIEW: PANTHERS V STORM
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It's the opening game of the regular-season as Nottingham Panthers host Manchester Storm at the Motorpoint Arena in the Challenge Cup (19:00 face-off).
It's the first of back-to-back matches between the two sides with part two taking place at the AO Arena in Manchester tomorrow (Sunday) at 16:00.
Saturday night is hockey night in Nottingham and there's only a few hundred seats remaining for tonight's game which is sponsored by Lake Energy.
You should be able to buy in-person at the Box Office ahead of face-off or secure your seats online now by clicking here.
Manchester rounded-off their pre-season campaign with an exciting narrow 6-5 defeat at home to Sheffield Steelers on penalty-shots at the AO Arena.
It was Storm's first game back in the 17,000-seater Manchester Arena rink and a crowd of over 11,000 were in the building to watch the pre-season action.
Panthers won all three of the pre-season matches at home with victories over Angers (4-2), Amiens (4-1) and Cardiff Devils (5-4) in the past three weekends.
View from the Bench
Panthers Head Coach, Danny Stewart, said: "Storm have a lot of guys who play hard and they've added some more high-end skill.
"They have some great goaltending and some top players across the ice. I don't think their identity will change too much and they played us well on the big ice last season."
Team News in association with Candid Digital
Forward Zach O'Brien missed last weekend's final pre-season action against Cardiff Devils because of a prior family commitment and he returns to the line-up.
Around the Rink
Our Charity of the Month, DMRC will be with us at the Motorpoint Arena. Pop along to the foyer and find out all about the great work they do.
Panthers Vault stands at £2,300
The Panthers Vault - in association with Interseal - is now up to £2,300. Tickets cost just £1 and if your number is drawn out of the hat, you go on the ice with MC Ken Feast to try to crack the code. Choose one of the players from the Panthers roster shown on the jumbotron to reveal a four-digit code and see if it unlocks the vault. Dare you give up the chance to go for the money to open the Mystery Box?
Chuck-a-Puck
Chuck-a-Puck - sponsored by Motorpoint - is great fun for all the family. It takes place in the second intermission and the winner is the person who lands their puck closest to Paws at centre-ice. The winner gets a photo with their favourite player at the end of the game and a signed puck. There's a bonus prize too! A remote control car drives around the centre-circle. If your puck lands inside the cockpit of the car, you have a chance to win two tickets to an event at the Motorpoint Arena. Pucks cost £1 each and are on sale from sellers around the rink.
Shirt Off His Back: Two great chances to win
This week's Shirt Off His Back has two great chances to win with the alternate jerseys of Zach O'Brien and the starting netminder up for grabs. Tickets are just £1 each and available from sellers around the rink and in the foyer.
50/50 is your chance to win a big cash prize
Tickets for the 50/50 raffle are sold for £1 each. The lucky winner will go home with a fantastic prize. Make sure you buy your tickets to be in with a chance of winning. Lookout for the sellers around the rink.
GVL Jersey Giveaway
How about taking home a Nottingham Panthers replica jersey? Sam Hurst will be in the bowl in the first-period powerbreak for our GVL Jersey Giveaway, so make sure you make plenty of noise to have a chance of winning.
Motorpoint Quick Quiz
New for 2026/27 is the Motorpoint Quick Quiz in the second-period powerbreak. Answer some Panthers quick-fire questions to stand a chance of winning £30.
Dance Cam in association with Doughnotts
Everyone loves a treat, right? Here's your chance to win free doughnuts by displaying your best funky dance moves in the jumbotron. Look out for the Dance Cam - in association with Nottingham-based Doughnotts - in the third-period powerbreak and show us your great moves!
Webcast: Watch the live stream tonight
If you're not with us at the Motorpoint Arena today, we've got you covered with the game being shown live on Panthers TV. Jono Bullard and former Panthers netminder Dan Green will bring you all the action. Click here to buy the webcast.