Nottingham Panthers made history over the weekend after becoming the first British club to win the IIHF Continental Cup.

Victories over Denmark’s Odense Bulldogs and Beibarys Atyrau of Kazakhstan meant the Panthers headed into Sunday’s game against Italian side Ritten Sport needing just a point to secure victory.

Robert Farmer (2) Matt Carter and Chris Lawrence bagged the goals as the Elite League team claimed a 4-1 success and a place in next season’s Champions Hockey League.

Head Coach Corey Neilson was delighted with his players’ efforts during the three-day tournament.

“It’s such a special thing to be able to compete on the international stage and just show not only how good the Nottingham Panthers are but how far the league has come,” he told the BBC.

REACTION: Head Coach Corey Neilson talks to @BBCRNS after @PanthersIHC make history by winning the Continental Cup in Ritten #panthersnation pic.twitter.com/FToSPEF8rL

— BBC Nottingham Sport (@BBCRNS) January 15, 2017

“I remember when I took over from Mike Ellis it was a league of two lines of imports and Brits who would just go on to give the imports a rest for a couple of seconds before they went back out.

“I put a Brit on every line and we turned into a three-line team, which changed the pace of the game in Great Britain.

“All the teams had to adapt to keep pace with what we were coming with. It evolved from there into a four-line game.

“I feel like as a club we’ve been trendsetters and now this is the next stage, winning in Europe.

“I’m so very proud of not only where we’ve come from but the fact we keep winning when it matters, on big stages.”

(Image permission: Karl Denham)