second Challenge Cup title, defeating the Sheffield Steelers 9–7 on aggregate in the final. This was the first time that the Panthers had won major honours in successive seasons. The Corey Neilson era Coach Mike Ellis departed the club following the 2007–08 season, to be replaced by Corey Neilson. After a third-place finish in the 2008–09 season, the Panthers mounted a title challenge during 2009–10, remaining in contention for the championship until the final stages of the season. They eventually finished third for a third successive season. The Panthers also won the Challenge Cup for the second time in three seasons, defeating the Cardiff Devils 8–7 on aggregate in the final. The 2010–11 season started strongly, but the Panthers suffered a poor mid season run which scuppered their chances of winning the regular season title and led to players being fined a proportion of their wages. The team were able to rebound from this, first securing a 4–3 aggregate victory over the Belfast Giants to successfully defend the Challenge Cup, then securing their third playoff championship with a 5–4 win over the Cardiff Devils. The Panthers repeated the double in the 2011–12 season first winning a third straight Challenge Cup with a 10–4 aggregate victory over Belfast. In the playoffs, the Panthers defeated Braehead and Hull in the playoffs before winning 2–0 against Cardiff in the final. The game was a tight affair, with David-Alexandre Beauregard breaking the deadlock after 53 goalless minutes. The 2012 off-season began with the release of captain Danny Meyers and his replacement by fellow Great Britain international Jonathan Weaver. Other new additions included forwards David Ling, Patrick Galivan and Bruce Graham, while Jason Beckett and Eric Werner were brought in as new defencemen. The season began with the Panthers losing 2 of their first 4 home games. This prompted Neilson to re-sign defenceman Guillaume Lepine as well as Anthony Stewart, then of the Carolina Hurricanes, on a short-term deal due to the NHL lockout. Form began to improve and, following a shootout win in Cardiff on 8 December, Panthers went top of the league standings. They remained there for the rest of the season, clinching their first regular season title in 57 years on 15 March 2013. Patrick Galivan scored the championship-sealing goal late in the third period before Matt Francis added an empty-netter in a 5–3 victory over the Belfast Giants. Five days later