Lakers confident at home

This one is still very much in the air, with SaiPa clinging to a one-goal lead but the Lakers holding home-ice advantage for the final 60 minutes, and maybe more.

SaiPa can thank their fast start in the first game for their lead – specifically, 2 goals scored by Brock Trotter in the first 10:28. Vaxjo battled back to tie it in the third period, but Tomi Leivo got the late go-ahead goal for SaiPa.

For the return leg, a group of SaiPa fans are making the trip to Vaxjo, and will be travelling on the team charter flight.

“Actually I’m hearing it for the first time,” Trotter said when informed about the fan entourage. “It should be fun. I’m looking forward to going to Sweden and playing a couple more games. This is my first time playing in the Champions Hockey League. So far it has been a pretty good experience.”

Lakers coach Sam Hallam is confident his players can come back and win at home, but he knows there are some areas that they will have to be better in. “I think we were pretty bad throughout the game and I don't like that SaiPa won pretty much every battle. We had a couple of good shifts here or there, and somehow we managed our way back (to even) but then we gave it away again ... but there's still 60 minutes left.”

"SaiPa are a good team, quick on transitions and solid in defence," commented Lakers' assistant coach Fredrik Hellgren. "They have a one-goal lead so now it's up to us to put all the elements of our game together, and play with energy to take us further in the tournament."

"The first game was something we expected, very fast transition hockey from Vaxjo We were ready from the first shift, and thats something we are looking for tonight as well," said SaiPa assistant coach Tuomo Ropo. "We want to have a good start in our return game. We know Vaxjo has lot of skilled players, so we have to keep our distances very small and help each other at both ends of the ice."

Read about the first game HERE.