In the first CHL game to start of the new season, TPS Turku took control of the game early with Lauri Tukonen scoring three goals in the first 25 minutes. Not to be outdone, Red Bull Munich's Michael Wolf scored his team's first three goals. Also, a pair of Scandinavian league champions, SonderjyskE Vojens and the Stavanger Oilers, each won 4–1 on home ice.
Stavanger Oilers 4–1 Ocelari Trinec
HIGHLIGHTS
After each team won in the other team's rink last season, the Stavanger Oilers opened this year's CHL campaign with a home-ice win over Ocelari Trinec. Christian Dahl-Andersen, Josh Soares and Rudolf Balcers staked the Oilers to the 3–0 lead before Erik Hrna got Trinec on the board in the last minute of the second period. The visitors fired 28 shots at Erik Holm in the third period alone – 51 in the game – but couldn't come any closer and Jonas Johansen put the game away into the empty net with 3:39 to play.
SonderjyskE Vojens 4–1 Red Bull Salzburg
HIGHLIGHTS
The Danish champions provided a mild upset on the first night of CHL action, beating the Austrian champs 4–1 in Vojens in an inspired effort less than a week after the passing of general manager Soren Stockfisch. Mads Bodker at even strength, Mads Lund on the power play and Cory Quirk shorthanded paced SonderjyskE to a 3–0 lead on home ice before Thomas Raffl got one for Salzburg midway through the third period. That was the only shot to beat Joni Myllykoski, however, and an empty-netter rounded out the scoring.
"This has been a really emotional week for all of us," SonderjyskE coach Dan Ceman said afterward. "It was hard to know what to expect from our guys tonight. I would not have been upset if they were mentally drained. But I think the memory of Soren was in everybody's mind tonight. It was an extra reason for all the guys to give everything and pay Soren a tribute and give him this honour."
HC Kosice 2–4 Red Bull Munich
HIGHLIGHTS
German national team captain Michael Wolf staked his team out to a 3–0 lead after 27 minutes with the CHL's second natural hat-trick of the day, then held on to beat host Kosice 4–2. Jason Jaffray assisted on his first two. Jeremy Dehner made it 4–0 shortly thereafter, but Jiri Bicek scored a pair for the home team to make the final score more respectable.
“It was a tough game against a strong opponent, we are happy that we won,” Wolf said after his big day. “We had many scoring chances, won the game and we want to repeat it the next game on Sunday. A guy doesn't score three goals every day, so it makes me happy and I helped our team. That's what's most important.”
Kosice's big scorer Bicek said, “The first period wasn't so good from our side. Then we talked to each other about what we had to do out there and it was better starting in the second. Also both my linemates played a great game. We found some mistakes and scored two goals. It's just too bad that it was too late.”
TPS Turku 6–1 Black Wings Linz
HIGHLIGHTS
Lauri Tukonen scored three goals in the first 25 minutes, all assisted by Tomi Kallio, as TPS Turku are the first team to win in the new Champions Hockey League season. Jerry Ahtola, Harri Tikkanen and Ilkka Pikkarainen also scored, while Rob Hisey broke Teemu Lassila's shutout with less than seven minutes to go.
"I'm proud of our team. We were well-prepared and got off to a good start. We have been together only two or three weeks and it's important to start like this at home. And of course our first line was strong," TPS head coach Ari-Pekka Selin said of the line of Tadas Kumeliauskas, Tukonen and Kallio.
"They were a lot better than we were tonight, no question about that," understated Linz head coach Robert Daum. "They were quick to the pucks, and a much better team. Overall, we looked like we've been together for two weeks. We've had a lot of changes and it takes time to put things into place."