Nottingham Panthers: Tim Wallace hails spirit as team win Continental Cup silver

Nottingham Panthers finished level on points with Danish hosts Vojens, who won the tournament because of their superior head-to-head record

Nottingham Panthers head coach Tim Wallace says his players showed great character to beat Grodno 4-3 and win a silver medal at the Continental Cup.

Panthers were 3-1 down at the midway point with Jake Hansen on the scoresheet, before Ryan Horvat and Sam Herr levelled with two quick goals.

Georgs Golovkovs netted with 70 seconds left to seal victory for the Panthers.

"It's a game of inches and the guys worked so hard and battled through a lot of things," said Wallace.

An Elite League side has now won a medal at the past four editions of the competition, with Panthers' trophy success in 2017 being followed by bronze for Sheffield in 2018 and silver for Belfast last season.

"They put their nose to the grindstone and battled hard," added Wallace.

"It was impressive to come back and beat Grodno. It was fantastic to see them put it all on the line to win a silver medal.

"I think it comes down to them liking each other and being great human beings. I am really proud of them."

Earlier in the day, Vojens beat Krakow 3-1 to become the first Danish side to win the Continental Cup.

Despite Panthers and Vojens finishing on seven points, the hosts won the tournament by virtue of their superior head-to-head record, having beaten Nottingham 2-1 after penalty shots on the opening day.