Challenge Cup: Belfast Giants beat Nottingham Panthers in tense last-four tie to reach final

The Belfast Giants will host the Challenge Cup final next moth after a tense 2-1 semi-final victory over the Nottingham Panthers at Belfast's SSE Arena.

Captain David Goodwin scored both goals for the Giants with Jeremy Welsh replying for the Panthers.

However, it was netminder Jackson Whistle who was the home side's man-of-the-match with 31 saves, many of them huge as he held at bay a surge from Nottingham in the final period.

The Giants will play Cardiff Devils in the final, on a date to be announced, after they defeated Sheffield Steelers 5-0 in Wednesday's other semi-final.

The Belfast outfit last lifted the Challenge Cup in 2019 in what was a successful defence, having won the trophy the year before.

Chances were few in the opening period which was a tight, checking affair as the Panthers tried to raise the physical stakes.

It is hard to keep the Giants offence down for long and, with just under three minutes remaining, they scored the first goal.

Scott Conway forced a turnover at centre ice and then won a battle with two Panthers before laying the puck off to Goodwin and his low shot from the left circle beat goalie Kevin Carr.

The game's first powerplay came early in the second period when Mark Garside was whistled for interference and the visitors wasted little time in equalising through Welsh who had time and space to pick the top corner of Jackson Whistle's net.

There followed a raft of penalties with Whistle making a couple of big saves to keep the scores level and with 91 seconds left in the period the home side retook the lead.

It was set up again by a superb play at centre ice by Conway who waited for the Panthers defenceman to try and control the puck before poke checking it away and into the path of Goodwin and his shot, again from the left circle but from a tighter angle, beat Carr.

Griffin Reinhart hit the post for the Giants as the final period got underway but in truth they didn't have their 'A' game and as Nottingham pressed for a second equaliser it was Whistle who kept them out.

In was even more impressive given that his father, Dave Whistle, the first ever Giants coach back in 2000, was watching on from the Panthers bench where he now helps out.