Goaltenders Patrick Galbraith of Krefeld Pinguine and Patrik Bartosak of Vitkovice Ostrava react to their head-to-head match-up on Saturday that remained scoreless for 53 minutes. It's the first of two meetings between the teams which will probably decide Group E's second qualifier.
by Wolfgang Huskes
KREFELD – After winning in Ostrava and Krefeld, Karpat Oulu have a stranglehold on first place in Group E. That leaves Krefeld Pinguine and Vitkovice Ostrava to battle for second place, and a spot in the Round of 32. On Saturday night they went head to head, with goaltenders Patrick Galbraith and Patrik Bartosak matching each other save for save for 53 minutes. In the end, Krefeld got a couple of late goals and took three points on their home ice, giving them a leg up on advancement. But it's not over.
After the game's end, the choice of who were the best players on each team was obvious - nobody needed to be told. With media gathered, they both gave their accounts of how the game transpired.
Galbraith, from Denmark, joined Die Pinguine midway through last season. The 30-year-old goaltender has represented the Danish national team on several occasions in the past, played for Adler Mannheim and Frolunda Gothenburg in the European Trophy, and on Saturday played his second Champions Hockey League game – the first being Thursday's 2-0 loss to Karpat. On Saturday he made 30 saves for a shutout of the same score.
Patrick, what did you think about the game against Vitkovice?
"We were the better team over the course of the game. They played really well the first half, but once we started getting a bit more of the game they went down a little bit. The most important factor for our victory was that we kept going, we didn't stop. We had some near chances. We didn't stop playing, we believed in the system and it worked out in the end. I think it's a deserved result rather than a lucky one. When the first goal comes so late – the 54rd minute – then it's really hard. The other goalie played really well and so we were just happy that the puck went in in the end."
How do your two Group E opponents, Karpat and Vitkovice, compare?
"I think it was 50-50. We knew we had to be just as good today to compete and today it was enough to win. Last game we needed a lucky bounce or two, but we didn't get it, and today we did. Those are small details."
How do you assess your own performance today?
"I felt good today. I was a little rusty on Thursday, I think, and then today I felt really good, getting the speed up. Of course, the shutout is one thing, but that's because we played really well. It's not just because of me because the whole team played really well."
Bartosak, 23, is in just his second season back in Europe after a four-year stint in North America, which included three years of junior hockey with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL and one year of professional hockey with the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL – the top farm team of the Los Angeles Kings. For Bartosak, it was also his second CHL game, following a 4-2 loss to Karpat on Tuesday. He stopped 22 of 24 shots, surrendering two late goals.
Patrik, what did you think of the game against Krefeld?
"I don't know. I feel that we played a very good game and luck just wasn't on our side. The bounces weren't there and the stuff we needed to win wasn't there. We battled hard and it just didn't go our way for some reason."
How do your two opponents from Oulu and Krefeld compare?
"Both are quality teams. We had a chance to win both games, but for some reason we didn't get any points, but I feel we have a very good chance to win the next two games. We'll battle very hard to get the next six points."
So you feel that it was more of an unlucky loss than a deserved one?
"Yes, we battled very hard, we played the way we were supposed to play, but luck wasn't on our side. Krefeld is a very good team, but I feel that we had a very good chance to win but we just didn't."
The two teams each play once more in Oulu, and they face each other again in Ostrava on 7 September.