A THIRD noble effort in as many games, but it soon became clear there was no way these Viking warriors were going to let the Nottingham Panthers pillage their barn.
The Saxon raiders, with a heavy interspersing of hired guns from foreign shores, were seen off in brutally clinical fashion, going down 6-2 to Lukko Rauma in Finland.
For the Panthers this was nothing new in the cut throat world of the Champions Hockey League.
Two excellent periods were tied 1-1, but Panthers were effectively out of the game having lost the first 4-0.
Nottingham, reduced to three lines by an already crippling injury list started well, but found themselves up against it at the first intermission as the superior quality of the Finns and their two imports hurried errors out of the tournament's rank outsiders.
Panthers showed their mettle and fared far better in the second with Evan Mosey, forced to play on offence due to those injuries, pulling one back before Lukko got a quick-fire fifth as if to crush any hope before it turned into a serious challenge to their superiority.
It was tied in the third as well as Brandon Benedict scored on the powerplay. Panthers gave a good account of themselves overall as they continue to dip their toes into the shark infested waters of elite European hockey.
They have lost all of their Group K games though with their fourth game to follow tomorrow in Sweden against Lulea, who happened to beat them 10-1 when they last met. In short, it gets no easier.
The first goal came after 6.54 through Canadian, Aaron Gagnon, who was their to beat Craig Kowalski after the puck was smartly worked in front.
Panthers were right in the period going into the latter stages before they collapsed.
Lukko doubled the lead after 14.10 through Ville Vahalahti.
He had more than enough time to beat Kowalski at the back post after Panthers gave the puck up cheaply behind the net.
A morale sapping third came after 17.01 when Janne Niskala fired a shot that went straight through the otherwise excellent Kowalski, who might be disappointed to have let that one get away from him.
It was 4-0 with 53 seconds left in the period and once again Lukko's quality shone through, Jesper Piitulainen finishing a neat move for a powerplay goal.
Panthers showed they might well lose the game, but they are no quitters.
Mosey got one back after 34.24 with assists going to Nathan Robinson and Benedict.
But 54 seconds later the four goal advantage was restored and once again it was all about the speed of Rauma.
They broke up the ice and Jerry Ahtola was there to clinically tuck the chance through the hapless Kowalski's five hole.
Panthers shipped an unfortunate sixth after 44.43 as Henrik Koivisto had a tap in when Toni Kovisto saw his shot deflect cruelly off Steve Lee into the path of Toni's namesake.
Another goal was pulled back on the powerplay after 57.20 to give the visitors something else to take from the game.
Kowalski fired the puck to Greg Jacina and when it was turned on goal, stand-in captain Benedict was there to get his second goal of the tournament.
