David-Alexandre Beauregard broke a lengthy deadlock with just seven minutes remaining before David Clarke scored into an empty net late on to condemn the Devils to their third straight Play-Off final defeat.

The contest began with some hard hitting as Panthers grabbed the initiative, forcing a great glove save from Stevie Lyle in the third minute.

Two players from each side were sent to the sin-bin after a dust-up with five minutes gone, with the Devils going on the powerplay as Brock Wilson picked up an extra minor but being unable to capitalise.

The closest chance came shorthanded as Rhett Gordon missed in front from a Danny Meyers feed, and the game calmed down after full numbers were restored, although there were a couple of powerplay opportunities for each side.

Blank

The scoreline remained blank into the second period as the Panthers edged the possession battle but could not find a way past a very solid-looking Lyle in the Devils' net.

Matt Francis did hit the bar early in the period and Jordan Fox twice went close, while Scott Dobben almost gave the Devils the lead but was denied by a good save from Craig Kowalski.

It remained tight into the third period as both teams squandered succession of chances, while Nottingham player Guillaume Lepine picked up a 2+10 for checking to the head.

Overtime seemed imminent but at 52.57 Panthers finally opened the scoring when Beauregard stabbed in a backhand shot from close range.

Cardiff threw everything at their opponents in the closing stages as they pulled Lyle from the net, but Clarke skated free to find the empty net with seven seconds left to seal a second consecutive Play-Off title.

Future

After the match Panthers player-coach Corey Neilson, who has led the side to five trophies in the last three seasons, admitted that his future at Nottingham is uncertain.

"I don't even know if I am coming back, I might come back I might not. That is between me and the owner and we will take care of all of those things," he said.

He added of the win: "It is a great accomplishment, especially with the new personnel every year. It feels great. These rare, great opportunities when you win championships are wonderful.

"I did expect it to be a really tough game. They worked super hard, I did not expect them to come with the pressure they came with, to have the energy and I was really impressed with their performance."