A PAINFUL powerplay goal just two minutes from time robbed Braehead Clan of a vital victory over Nottingham Panthers in their Challenge Cup quarter-final first leg.

The home side, playing in front of a half-full Braehead Arena, were forced to come from two goals down in this slug out with the side currently bottom of the Erhardt Conference only to then be pegged back themselves.

Matt Carter and Alex Nikiforuk put the men in white and yellow ahead to subdue an already unusually quiet home crowd, but this enigmatic and unpredictable Clan side found enough in their reserves to turn the tie around thanks to goals from Matt Beca, Matt Keith and Lee Baldwin.

However, a late surge from the visitors on the powerplay eventually told as Carter netted again to level the tie at 3-3 ahead of next week's return.

The opportunity of Challenge Cup hockey will have come as some light relief for a pair of Elite League heavyweights struggling to make their presence felt in their bread and butter of league duty.

Both going for the title prior to the season starting, Clan went into this Challenge Cup meeting in eighth place with just eight wins from 20 games, with the Panthers just a point ahead.

Inconsistency has blighted Ryan Finnerty's team throughout the season and those who did battle their way through the fervent Christmas shoppers at Braehead were treated to a typically Jekyll and Hyde performance for the team back in purple.

The uneasy confidence growing from a positive start was shattered 13 minutes in as Carter got in the end of a Geoff Brown pass at the near post to squeeze the puck beyond Michal Zajkowski.

Panthers then thought they'd grabbed a second soon after through the unmarked Logan MacMillan, but as the Nottingham bench celebrated the play was pulled back with the puck nestling in the outside of the net.

It would be a warning of what was to come as Nikiforuk reacted quickest 38 seconds in the second period to somehow scramble the puck under Zajkowski at the crease when the Clan goalie seemed to have the situation in hand.

The murmur of discontent in the stands was telling. Braehead needed a reaction and quickly.

It arrived via Beca just shy of the 23rd minute. The former Charlotte Checkers forward had drifted out right to be in the perfect place to guide home Craig Peacock's squared pass.

Clan almost went in to the final period level as captain Keith took matters into his own hands with a venomous slapshot, but his missile came crashing back off Miika Wiikman's far pipe.

The man from Edmonton soon went one better three minutes after the final break with another terrific hit, riffling the puck high beyond Wiikman from range to restore parity.

Fifty seven seconds later and the home side took a surprise lead through Baldwin. Confusion struck the Braehead Arena as the Clan buzzer went off as his effort appeared to just cross the line. The celebrations were put on hold while referee Toby Craig took his time before eventually awarding the goal.

However, a vital advantage would be ruled out. In the only penalty of the night, Daniel Ahsberg was handed a game misconduct for elbowing, putting Braehead a man short for five minutes.

They were seconds away from holding out, only for Carter to grab his second of the night with just over two minutes to play.