ELITE LEAGUE ICE HOCKEY:

Playoff quarter final first leg:

Braehead Clan 3 Nottingham Panthers 0

Braehead Clan took a big step towards the 2012 Elite League Playoff Finals with a commanding first-leg win against Nottingham Panthers.

In a repeat of last year’s play-off quarter final, Braehead and Nottingham came face to face at the same stage once again this season. The two teams are no strangers to one another when it comes to the final stages, they faced one another back in January in the Challenge Cup semi-final, when the team from the Lace City came out on top over the two legs.

With Mike Bayrack out injured, Matt Haywood stepped up to the first line and put in a performance that earned him man of the match.

A pretty even first period between the teams with plenty of chances, but very few that were clear cut. Both goaltenders were dealing with anything that was coming their way and the defences were clearing up everything else.

After 40 minutes of hockey the teams were still deadlocked with the better of the chances coming the way of the visitors. Panthers outshot their opponents 17-7 in the second period, but they were finding Suomalainen in the home goal in outstanding form.

Twenty seconds into the third period and the breakthrough came for the hosts as ex-Panther Jade Galbraith had the home supporters on their feet. Lee Mitchell who came onto the first line to give Haywood a rest put the hosts two in front at 54.40 and then at 56.57 Mike Wirll capped a tremendous night for the hosts as he netted the third goal.

When the final buzzer went the crowd almost lifted the roof off the Arena as the Clan ended their home campaign with a commanding lead to take into the second leg in Nottingham on Saturday.