Die-hard Panthers fan Mark Gozzard was a "bag of nerves" before popping the question to his sweetheart of five months in front of 6,000 raucous hockey fans – the biggest crowd of the season so far.
But it was a winning result as surprised Stacey Dyson, 23, didn't need extra time to say "yes" – in a proposal that would melt the crowds' hearts and perhaps even the ice.
The new bride-to-be had no idea what her 31-year-old fiancé had been plotting when they bought tickets for the hotly anticipated clash between Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers on Saturday September 20.
Stacey, who shares a home with Mark in Oak Avenue, Mansfield, said: "I was absolutely gobsmacked – I must have gone bright red.
"The ring is exactly what I would have chosen and this is something I will remember for the rest of my life."
The King's Mill health care worker first met Mark six years ago when he came into the pub she was working in.
She said: "We have known each other for years, we were friends and out of that love blossomed."
Stacey and Mark, who are both self-confessed "big Panthers fans" had been sitting rink-side when the lights at the Capital FM Arena dimmed and the screens showed that an announcement was about to be made.
Little did Stacey know that the next words would be "Stacey in block 15, will you marry me?"
Still shaking Mark told the Post: "I didn't really watch any of the first period I was just so nervous, I was watching the clock.
"I feel amazing but I am still shaking I am so relieved she said yes.
"We are both big Panthers fans and I just wanted to do something special, that we would always remember."
Mark had managed to keep the proposal a secret from his friends and family by "not telling a soul".
He said: "I've been planning the surprise for nearly four months, the only way I could keep it a secret was by not telling anybody."
The pair said they would start life as an engaged couple by staying at the arena for the rest of the match – which Mark would now be able to enjoy.
Panthers' general manager Gary Moran said it was quite rare for couples to get engaged at a hockey game.
"The challenge has now been laid down.
"Nottingham play Sheffield on February 14, Valentines' Day, and hopefully it will be like a Moonie wedding, the biggest mass proposal in the history of ice hockey, we want people to get in touch."
He added: "We wish Mark and Stacey all the best and it is great that the chose to share their moment with us in front of the biggest crowds of the year."
