FOR the second week running the Buildbase Bees found themselves behind on their home track - but once again they were good enough to overcome the early deficit and take victory.
Those who felt that the hard work in this Knockout Cup tie had been done with Thursday's excellent win at the Showground had to think again when the Panthers moved into the aggregate lead after just two races of the return fixture - and still held it three heats later.
But Bees got their act together as the meeting moved towards its mid-stages, and their job was made somewhat more straightforward by the withdrawal of Mads Korneliussen. By the end, the Panthers' resistance had been broken and the Bees were emphatic winners.
Peterborough's bright start was launched in Heat 1 by both Kenneth Bjerre and Ales Dryml making good gates, as they had in the first leg. On this occasion, Chris Harris was able to move past Dryml going into the second lap, but the visitors still opened with a 4-2.
And it was to get much, much better for them when Filip Sitera blew an engine on the start-line of Heat 2, and any opposition for Joe Haines and Rene Bach disappeared when Joel Parsons went down on the third bend, re-mounting for a point.
Bees steadied the ship with a 4-2 in a close-fought Heat 3 with Olly Allen gating from the outside and holding off the attentions of Korneliussen, who himself was almost overtaken by Edward Kennett on a couple of occasions.
But with Heat 4 seemingly set for a 3-3, Parsons fell again on the third bend when team-mate Rory Schlein came through inside him, and Bach gratefully accepted third place to go alongside Niels-Kristian Iversen's race win.
Heat 5 was shared with Bjerre taking his second win of the night, and Bees appeared in need of a spark - which duly arrived in the next, with Iversen hitting the first bend in front but swiftly being rounded by Harris, and then getting trapped in mid-track as Barker cleverly came through on the inside and then held a good line to prevent a return challenge.
That put Bees back into the aggregate lead and they added a 4-2 in Heat 7 as Korneliussen took partner Claus Vissing wide on turn one, so much so that Vissing fell, and Schlein raced clear to win.
But the scores on the night were destined to remain level for two more races, although Bees appeared set for a 5-1 in Heat 8 as Barker and Parsons led clearly on the first half-lap, only for the third bend to again catch Parsons out, with Dryml and Bach both making good moves in avoidance.
Iversen then rode a good second bend in Heat 9 to block Allen's outside move, but the tie really went away from the Panthers in the next race, in which Vissing made the best start but spun on the second bend right in the path of Korneliussen, who had no chance of avoiding his team-mate.
Vissing was uninjured and Korneliussen was able to walk off the track, but he was ruled unfit to continue in the meeting, and the resulting 5-1 in the re-run from Harris and Barker put Bees ahead on the night for the first time.
Bjerre and Schlein traded elbows into the first bend of Heat 11, Schlein cutting back inside Dryml for second place, and Dryml then fell at the end of the third lap to hand Sitera a point and share the race.
Allen and Parsons moved clear in Heat 12 but had to do their job twice as Bach ran into the fence on turn two, and the Bees pairing duly collected the 5-1 in the re-run with Parsons just making it around Haines in the early stages.
There was still no stopping Bjerre in Heat 13, but the fact that Iversen was squeezed out behind Schlein and Harris meant that Coventry's progression to the semi-finals was assured.
But a super race followed in Heat 14 with Sitera hitting the front as Vissing attempted to take Kennett wide, and then with the Czech blocking his opponent, Kennett took advantage to switch to the inside on the last lap and snatch the paid win on the run to the line.
And if the Panthers were hoping that the meeting would finish with a Bjerre maximum as consolation, they were to be disappointed as the Dane missed the start for the first time with Harris and Allen romping clear to hold off the challenge of Iversen and complete strong personal performances from both.
Before the tie the Panthers had suggested that the Bees may just have been running scared ahead of the action - but a 20-point aggregate win was a fine statement, and continues the club's excellent record in the Knockout Cup over recent years... and it also means confidence should be high ahead of the Elite League openers next week.
BUILDBASE BEES 53 Chris Harris 2 3 3 1* 3 = 12+1 Ben Barker 0 2* 3 2* = 7+2 Olly Allen 3 1* 2 3 2* = 11+2 Edward Kennett 1 2 1* 2* = 6+2 Rory Schlein 2 3 2 2 = 9 Filip Sitera R 1 1* 3 = 5+1 Joel Parsons 1 F F 2* = 3+1
