TRADE-MART DUNDEE STARS 5 NOTTINGHAM PANTHERS 1

The Trade-Mart Dundee Stars got back to winning ways with a convincing 5-1 victory over Nottingham Panthers at home, on Sunday evening.

By Kris Smith

The Stars lost defenseman, Sean Allen from the line-up as he served the first of his two-game for checking to the head but that allowed for last night’s healthy scratch, forward Tommy Parrottino to be added back into the team.

Dundee did not get off to the start they wanted as in only the second minute, they were put on the penalty kill as centerman, Carter Johnson was punished for a tripping foul but the home team survived the whole two minutes of being a man down.

The Stars then set about getting on the attack against the Panthers and would test goaltender, Mike Robinson with a flurry of chances.

First up was Brent Beaudoin as he recieved a pass in front of goal and had time to pick his spot, but Robinson denied him with the blocker in the seventh minute, before he then closed the five-hole on Anthony Rinaldi moments later.

The Elite League’s leading point-scorer, Ryan Valentini then got in behind the Nottingham defence but was stopped by the American’s glove as he dropped to the ice and spread himself out.

At the other end, Kevin Carr had some work to do in the Dundee goal and had an answer for everything the English club could throw at him in the first period, as the only goal of the opening 20 minutes came on the powerplay for the Stars.

When Jake Ryczek was boxed for holding Rinaldi in the 17th minute, the Tayside team only needed 13 seconds of powerplay time to take the lead and Valentini notched his 17th goal of the season by dragging the puck around one defender before slinging a shot past Robinson.

Marc LeFebvre’s powerplay unit would get back out onto the ice in the final minute of the first session and their advantage carried over into the second but they failed to capitalise again.

However, on the 26-minute-mark, Spencer Naas did double the lead as he had an easy tap in from the rebound of Kris Inglis’ shot, after the Dundonian blueliner had showed some great hands to take the puck past a diving Westin Michaud.

Jonathan Paredes men then hit back to cut the lead down to one as Didrik Henbrant rushed through into the Dundee zone and followed up his own rebound, slotting home on the second go, on 28 minutes.

Although, that did not cause the Stars any setbacks as they went straight back on the attack and were looking for a third, with several testing shots coming the way of Robinson.

Eventually in the 38th minute, Naas bagged his second, this time from between the circles after Valentini rounded the Panthers net and dropped a pass onto the stick of the American, for him to rifle the puck past the Nottingham keeper.

Dundee kept their two-goal lead heading into the third period and after defending through an early penalty, they continued to create more and more chances with Jonathan McBean, Craig Moore and Beaudoin all going close.

McBean would soon convert on one of his chances after Tommy Parrottino won the puck back along the boards and Craig Garrigan made the pass out to the front of the net for the waiting McBean to tap home, inside 53 minutes.

The Stars then added their fifth and final goal of the night inside the final two minutes as Moore played Rinaldi in behind with a quick pass and he had time to pick his spot, before firing past Robinson.

Dundee added another vital two points to keep them in sixth place in the Elite League table but they remain only two points behind fifth spot and five back from second place, with a visit from Fife Flyers next on the schedule, before taking on league leaders, Sheffield Steelers on the road.