Nottingham Panthers forward Chase Pearson threatens the HK Mogo net during the 2026 IIHF Continental Cup Final in Nottingham.
photo: Joshua Day / Panthers Media
Day one of the IIHF Continental Cup Final in Nottingham brought victory for Herning Blue Fox over Angers Ducs before tournament host Nottingham Panthers overcame HK Mogo in front of a lively crowd at the Motorpoint Arena.
Herning Blue Fox players celebrate a goal in their 4-1 win over Angers Ducs at the 2026 IIHF Continental Cup Final in Nottingham
photo: Joshua Day / Panthers Images
Ducs pay penalty as Herning opens with win
Angers Ducs 1 Herning Blue Fox 4 (0-0, 1-3, 0-1)
The Blue Fox power play got hot in the second period of the opening game, finishing on two for three and taking the result away from Angers.
“We got in a good spot in the second period with two fast power paly goals,” said Mathias Bau, who finished the game with a goal and an assist as part of that PP. “That’s where we got the game a little bit under control.
“And we got what we wanted. We played a good game. We came to win and we did that.”
Despite the early start, there was a lively atmosphere for the opening game as the current Ligue Magnus leader took on Denmark’s most titled club in Nottingham. Both sets of visiting fans drummed up a wall of sound throughout the afternoon.
The first incident of note was an unfortunate one: Herning defender Terrance Amorosa needed treatment after a big, but legal hit close to the boards. For the next few shifts, Angers had the upper hand and Nicolas Ritz came close to opening the scoring on a counterattack.
But the Danes regained their composure and by the end of the opening frame it was Les Ducs who looked groggy, outshot 10-4 with good chances for Patrick Bjorkstrand and Artturi Toivola.
At the start of the second, with only their fifth shot of the game, the French got the lead. Two members of the silver-medal Continental Cup team of 2023 combined as cross-ice feed from Nicolas Ritz found Jonathan Charbonneau for the opener on 21:37.
“We had a pretty good first 10 minutes but then we struggled a bit,” Ritz reflected. “We opened the scoring, so that was good but we didn’t do it on the special units like they did. I think that was a turning point and then we couldn’t find a way to change the momentum and get it back.”
The goal came against the run of play and Blue Fox turned the score upside down in the second period. Josh Prokop, prolific in his days in youth hockey in Alberta, tied it up on a swift counterattack in the 28th minute. Then came two power play goals as Herning turned the screws.
Nick Pastujov made it 2-1, needing just 19 seconds to convert the power play with a shot through traffic. Emil Kristensen had an assist on that play, and the defender was involved again late in the middle frame when Bau smashed an unstoppable one-timer from the right-hand circle. That made it 3-1, with the Danish power play running two for three at the second intermission.
Midway through the third, the Danes put the seal on the win with a fourth goal. Joachim Linnet stepped onto a pass from the impressive Kristensen and shovelled home a backhander from between the hash marks to complete a solid victory.
“It was a really good start for us,” concluded captain Morten Poulsen. “A 4-1 score is a really good result. In this tournament we know we’ll have tight games against really good opponents. Hockey games are never perfect but we were close to it today.”
Angers Ducs 1 Herning Blue Fox 4 (0-0, 1-3, 0-1)
The Blue Fox power play got hot in the second period of the opening game, finishing on two for three and taking the result away from Angers.
“We got in a good spot in the second period with two fast power paly goals,” said Mathias Bau, who finished the game with a goal and an assist as part of that PP. “That’s where we got the game a little bit under control.
“And we got what we wanted. We played a good game. We came to win and we did that.”
Despite the early start, there was a lively atmosphere for the opening game as the current Ligue Magnus leader took on Denmark’s most titled club in Nottingham. Both sets of visiting fans drummed up a wall of sound throughout the afternoon.
The first incident of note was an unfortunate one: Herning defender Terrance Amorosa needed treatment after a big, but legal hit close to the boards. For the next few shifts, Angers had the upper hand and Nicolas Ritz came close to opening the scoring on a counterattack.
But the Danes regained their composure and by the end of the opening frame it was Les Ducs who looked groggy, outshot 10-4 with good chances for Patrick Bjorkstrand and Artturi Toivola.
At the start of the second, with only their fifth shot of the game, the French got the lead. Two members of the silver-medal Continental Cup team of 2023 combined as cross-ice feed from Nicolas Ritz found Jonathan Charbonneau for the opener on 21:37.
“We had a pretty good first 10 minutes but then we struggled a bit,” Ritz reflected. “We opened the scoring, so that was good but we didn’t do it on the special units like they did. I think that was a turning point and then we couldn’t find a way to change the momentum and get it back.”
The goal came against the run of play and Blue Fox turned the score upside down in the second period. Josh Prokop, prolific in his days in youth hockey in Alberta, tied it up on a swift counterattack in the 28th minute. Then came two power play goals as Herning turned the screws.
Nick Pastujov made it 2-1, needing just 19 seconds to convert the power play with a shot through traffic. Emil Kristensen had an assist on that play, and the defender was involved again late in the middle frame when Bau smashed an unstoppable one-timer from the right-hand circle. That made it 3-1, with the Danish power play running two for three at the second intermission.
Midway through the third, the Danes put the seal on the win with a fourth goal. Joachim Linnet stepped onto a pass from the impressive Kristensen and shovelled home a backhander from between the hash marks to complete a solid victory.
“It was a really good start for us,” concluded captain Morten Poulsen. “A 4-1 score is a really good result. In this tournament we know we’ll have tight games against really good opponents. Hockey games are never perfect but we were close to it today.”
Panthers forward Ross Armour challenges Mogo goaltender Karlis Mezsargs at the 2026 IIHF Continental Cup Final
photo: Joshua Day / Panthers Images
Panthers see off stubborn Mogo
HK Mogo 0 Nottingham Panthers 4 (0-0, 0-2, 0-2)
Not many in Nottingham knew much about Riga’s HK Mogo before Wednesday night’s game – but they soon found out.
The Latvians had battled through two qualifying groups to get here and proved that they weren’t just making up the numbers in a competitive start to the game.
Eventually, the tournament host got the expected victory, but it had to battle for 28 minutes to breakthrough a stubborn Riga rearguard.
“We got outworked a little bit in the first, but we came back with a good response and that’s testament to our leadership group and the coaching staff,” admitted Brendan Harris, scorer of the opening goal.
“But in the end it was kind of a good way to start the tournament. The first period was a bit rough, we got saved by our goalie a few times, but we picked it up in the second half of the game.
“We didn’t really know what to expect. They proved that we can’t take anybody for granted.
It wasn’t just defensive hard work from the Latvians. Mogo created some good looks in the first period. Notably, Ernests Krums turned GB international Josh Tetlow inside out before his shot eventually bobbled over Kevin Carr’s crossbar in a goalless opening frame.
“We had a lot of chances to score the first goal,” said Deivids Sarkanis, who played for the Panthers briefly in the 2016-17 season. “We were good on the power play, we were pretty strong, but we didn’t beat the goaltender.
“Maybe if we had scored, the game would have been different, but in the second period we slowed down and that’s our fault.”
The Panthers created their own chances but struggled to get close to Karlis Mezsargs’ net until the second period.
Gradually, though, the home team got on top and in the second period the game looked more like the one many expected on arrival at the Motorpoint Arena. The Latvians just about killed their first penalty of the game, but the momentum swung firmly in Nottingham’s favour. Brendan Harris settled home nerves with an opening goal on 27:58 after some great work behind the net from Chase Pearson to pick him out in space between the dots.
The scorer paid tribute to Pearson’s assist on that vital opening goal. “It was a great forecheck by Chase to pickpocket the defender,” said Harris. “Then he had the awareness to find me in the slot and I just had to get some wood on it.”
Then came a second Nottingham power play and a second goal. Zech Cooper’s sizzling feed picked out Didrik Henbrant, who sent the puck low across the face of Mezsargs’ net and in at the far post.
The third period saw Danny Stewart’s team close out the win with little drama. It took more than 10 minutes for Carr to be called into significant action, shrugging aside an angled attempt from Niks Fenenko.
And the closing stages brought two more goals to wrap up a convincing start for the Panthers. Bryan Lemos grabbed a shorthanded goal in the 55th minute, forcing a turnover on his own blue line before racing away to outwit Mezsargs. Then, two minutes later, a tiring Latvian defence failed to clear its lines and Hungarian international Zsombor Garat completed the scoring to set the arena singing louder than ever.
While Panthers have a day off Mogo continues on Thursday with a game against GKS Katowice. Victory would keep the club in contention for its first ever Continental Cup medal. “Nothing is over,” added Sarkanis. “We can still play for a medal and that would be really big for our team and our country to make some history.”
HK Mogo 0 Nottingham Panthers 4 (0-0, 0-2, 0-2)
Not many in Nottingham knew much about Riga’s HK Mogo before Wednesday night’s game – but they soon found out.
The Latvians had battled through two qualifying groups to get here and proved that they weren’t just making up the numbers in a competitive start to the game.
Eventually, the tournament host got the expected victory, but it had to battle for 28 minutes to breakthrough a stubborn Riga rearguard.
“We got outworked a little bit in the first, but we came back with a good response and that’s testament to our leadership group and the coaching staff,” admitted Brendan Harris, scorer of the opening goal.
“But in the end it was kind of a good way to start the tournament. The first period was a bit rough, we got saved by our goalie a few times, but we picked it up in the second half of the game.
“We didn’t really know what to expect. They proved that we can’t take anybody for granted.
It wasn’t just defensive hard work from the Latvians. Mogo created some good looks in the first period. Notably, Ernests Krums turned GB international Josh Tetlow inside out before his shot eventually bobbled over Kevin Carr’s crossbar in a goalless opening frame.
“We had a lot of chances to score the first goal,” said Deivids Sarkanis, who played for the Panthers briefly in the 2016-17 season. “We were good on the power play, we were pretty strong, but we didn’t beat the goaltender.
“Maybe if we had scored, the game would have been different, but in the second period we slowed down and that’s our fault.”
The Panthers created their own chances but struggled to get close to Karlis Mezsargs’ net until the second period.
Gradually, though, the home team got on top and in the second period the game looked more like the one many expected on arrival at the Motorpoint Arena. The Latvians just about killed their first penalty of the game, but the momentum swung firmly in Nottingham’s favour. Brendan Harris settled home nerves with an opening goal on 27:58 after some great work behind the net from Chase Pearson to pick him out in space between the dots.
The scorer paid tribute to Pearson’s assist on that vital opening goal. “It was a great forecheck by Chase to pickpocket the defender,” said Harris. “Then he had the awareness to find me in the slot and I just had to get some wood on it.”
Then came a second Nottingham power play and a second goal. Zech Cooper’s sizzling feed picked out Didrik Henbrant, who sent the puck low across the face of Mezsargs’ net and in at the far post.
The third period saw Danny Stewart’s team close out the win with little drama. It took more than 10 minutes for Carr to be called into significant action, shrugging aside an angled attempt from Niks Fenenko.
And the closing stages brought two more goals to wrap up a convincing start for the Panthers. Bryan Lemos grabbed a shorthanded goal in the 55th minute, forcing a turnover on his own blue line before racing away to outwit Mezsargs. Then, two minutes later, a tiring Latvian defence failed to clear its lines and Hungarian international Zsombor Garat completed the scoring to set the arena singing louder than ever.
While Panthers have a day off Mogo continues on Thursday with a game against GKS Katowice. Victory would keep the club in contention for its first ever Continental Cup medal. “Nothing is over,” added Sarkanis. “We can still play for a medal and that would be really big for our team and our country to make some history.”