DEL champions Red Bull Munich welcomed NL champions Genève-Servette to the Olympia-Eisstadion for the very first time for last night's Champions Hockey League Round of 16 First Game. The anticipation was high as both teams geared up for a clash between a seasoned and successful CHL veteran and a star-studded and championship-winning Genève squad.
Munich entered the game having lost two Champions Hockey League games in a row while Genève were on a mission to prove they had what it takes to succeed in the Playoffs, despite mixed performances of late domestically.
"We limited their chances for the full 60 minutes"Trevor Parkes, Red Bull Munich
"It was a really good game from us," started Munich's Trevor Parkes, "we came out, got the two goals and got the pressure on."
The Germans scored two in the first and one in the third, while the Swiss visitors scored two third-period goals, one of which came in the final minutes, to keep within touching distance of Munich's lead.
"Towards the end of the game, we gave them a few chances but overall we limited their chances for the full 60 minutes," commented the 32-year-old.
"They had a lot of chances late into the game - chances we shouldn't have let them have," he added.
With the score at 3-2, Genève looks hungry for more. Could there have been an equaliser?
"We should have buckled down a bit more," admitted Parkes who's sitting on five points (3G+2A) in seven games played, "Genève are a strong team, they're Swiss champions for a reason," noted Parkes, "but if you would have asked us before the game we would've said: sure!"
Are Munich happy with the one-goal lead going into next week's Return Game?
"Yes, like I said - It was a really good game from us, but it's just disappointing when you had a two-goal lead with a couple of minutes left," he added, mentioning Winnik's late breakaway goal.
"They want to move on just like us - it's going to be a tough game! We definitely can't sit back and try to protect our lead because they're going to be coming at us," he ended.
Red Bull Munich will face Genève-Servette in their Round of 16 Return Game on 22 November at 19:45 CET.