Trailing by two goals with 40 minutes to play, the Vaxjo Lakers rallied on home ice to beat ZSC Lions Zurich 3-2, with Calle Rosen scoring the late series-winner on the power play. Read more in Gamecentre.

by Steven Ellis, with contribution from Pontus Bjerg

A two-goal deficit early in the game meant nothing to the Vaxjo Lakers, who will advance to the Champions Hockey League Semi-Finals following a 3-2 victory on Tuesday evening.

After over 70 minutes of scoreless play over two games, the Zurich Lions took the first lead of the Quarter-Finals. At 10:34 of the first, Patrick Geering hesitated with the puck before sending a hard wrist shot through the middle, using a screen in front to give the Swiss-based squad the 1-0 advantage early in the battle.

Zurich would get another one before the end of the first. This time, with Ville Leino in the penalty box, former NHL forward Robert Nilsson scored a tremendous goal after making a quick move on a Vaxjo defenceman and firing it in blocker side on Joacim Eriksson, giving his team the 2-0 advantage into the intermission.

"After the first period we felt sick," admitted Lakers coach Sam Hallam. "It was miserable for us. But then we turned it around in the second period and worked on a completely different level. In the end I think that the win was well-deserved.”

It took most of the second period for Vaxjo to come alive, but they were able to cut the deficit to one goal. With less than seven minutes to go in the frame, Pontus Netterberg sent the puck to Leino just as he was knocked down. Leino was in a position to shoot, but elected to send it to Robert Rosen on the two-on-one. Rosen tapped in the puck at the doorstep, giving the Lakers their first goal of the Quarter-Finals.

When Vaxjo got momentum, they were unstoppable. At 37:40, Philip Holm fed Calle Rosen in the zone, with Rosen sending a hard wrist shot from the point. Zurich goaltender Lukas Flueler, who looked strong throughout the contest, didn’t even see the shot as the puck soared past him and in for the tying 2-2 goal after two periods of play.

“We started the game well in the first period where we controlled the play and lead 2-0," said Zurich coach Hans Wallson. "Then Vaxjo started the second more aggressively than us. We got a little too passive with the puck. Kenins had a breakaway where it could have been 3-0, the puck was on the goal line. To summarize the second period, I think that Vaxjo were better than us, so 2-2 after 40 minutes felt fair.”

Zurich tried their best to take back the lead, but a goal in the five minutes of play put a devastating blow to their chances. At 56:30 on the power-play, Rosen got his second of the contest after another hard-shot from the blue line beat Flueler, this time giving Vaxjo the 3-2 victory in the process.

“Just like the team, it was a bit up and down in the first period," said the hero, Calle Rosen. "I didn’t have the energy and speed that I need to have, but then I played better just like the team did. It’s always nice to score a few goals as well.”

“We took too many penalties again,” Wallson said following the game. “It’s disappointing.” 

Looking ahead to the next round of the CHL, which will be played in January, Hallam said, “It’s fun. Now we’re in the Semi-Finals against Sparta Prague, who slaughtered us in two games two seasons ago. We’ll see if we have learned that lesson.”