for the seventh time. The Steelers had won each of the last six finals in a run stretching back to 1995 and were clear favourites to win a seventh straight final against their bitter rivals after convincingly winning the Elite League title. After a tight 1–1 draw at the National Ice Centre, the two clubs met in the second leg at Sheffield Arena on March 17. The Panthers stormed into an early 2–0 lead before the Steelers fought back to tie the game at 2–2. Regulation time ended level and so the game went into overtime. After 53 seconds, Kim Ahlroos won the game for Nottingham, ending an eight-year wait for the club to defeat their rivals in a showpiece event. First Leg Nottingham Panthers 1–1 Sheffield Steelers Second Leg Sheffield Steelers 2–3 Nottingham Panthers (after overtime, Nottingham win 4–3 on aggregate) Elite League Table Each team played four home games and four away games against each of their opponents. Sheffield and Nottingham fought it out for the inaugural Elite League title before the Steelers pulled away to become comfortable champions, thanks to twenty consecutive wins, including 7–3, 5–0, 3–0 and 7–4 victories over the Panthers. Nottingham finished runner-up while Coventry were the most successful former BNL side, finishing third. Belfast began the season strongly before a poor run of results in the second half of the season saw them slip to fourth place. Struggling London were always destined to finish last, doing so by thirty-eight points, while Basingstoke also missed out on a place in the playoffs. Elite League Play Offs The top six teams qualified for the playoffs. Group A consisted of Sheffield, Belfast and Manchester while Group B consisted of Nottingham, Coventry and Cardiff. The Phoenix chose to stage one of its home games, against the Steelers at the 1,500 capacity IceSheffield rather than play the substantial costs involved in hiring the MEN Arena. Group A Group B Semi-finals The finals weekend took place over the weekend of 3 April-4 April at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham. Winner A vs Runner-Up B Sheffield Steelers 2–0 Cardiff Devils Winner B vs Runner-Up A Nottingham Panthers 6–1 Manchester Phoenix Final Winner A vs Winner B Sheffield Steelers 2–1 Nottingham Panthers The final saw the two main protagonists of the season come head-to-head in a repeat of the title race and Challenge Cup final. The Steelers avenged their overtime