Last week we saw leads change in mere moments, winning streaks extended, and some unlikely victors as the Champions Hockey League season continued. Here are some moments that shaped Game Days 3 and 4 of the pan-European competition.
Game Day 3
Strong Debut
Game Day 3 saw the Straubing Tigers get back in the win column with a 3-2 decision over Comarch Cracovia. The Germans staved off a late comeback by the Polish to secure the win, but weren't done as they followed up their victory against the Poles with another, even more impressive, 5-2 defeat of Färjestad Karlstad on home ice.
Back–and-forth
Oceláři Třinec and Skellefteå AIK put on a proper show at the Werk Arena manufacturing one of the most exciting matches of the season in a 5-4 victory for the Swedish side. The Swedes cushioned their lead with the two quick goals from Rickard Hugg in the second but Třinec made it interesting late in the third, scoring two midway through. Unfortunately for the Czech side, they couldn't complete the comeback and fell for a second straight time in this seesaw affair.
One That Got Away
Ben Street achieved a hattrick as Red Bull Munich spoiled the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers' bid for their first win of the season. Coming into the final frame up by two, the Swiss saw their lead quickly slip away. The resulting OT wasn't any kinder as the German side's Austin Ortega broke through three minutes in.
Lucky Number …
Seven, the number of goals and goal scorers inserted on the scoresheet for Rögle Ängelholm in their game against Fehérvár AV19. The Swedes entered the match as one of the highest scoring clubs in the CHL and proved it again by engineering their third victory of the season in decisive fashion.
Game Day 4
Back–To–Back
Following their 1-0 loss to the Stavanger Oilers on Game Day 2, Fribourg-Gottéron started their redemption run against Finnish opponents Ilves Tampere, taking them down 2-0. Then the Swiss returned the favour against the Norwegians with a 3-0 victory. Reto Berra and Connor Hughes put on a goaltending clinic stopping a combined 61 shots between the two contests.
Long Time Coming
Villach SV are currently on the outside looking in as the race for the Playoffs heats up, but their 6-2 showing against Cracovia saw them tick the win column for the first time this season. It also marked the Austrians’ first CHL win since their 4-1 result over the Briançon Diables Rouges during the 2014/15 campaign.
A Giant Victory
Hockey fans rejoiced in Northern Ireland as the Belfast Giants took down Třinec in a ten-round shootout to come away with 3-2 win. Mark Cooper scored on his attempt and Libor Hudáček missed to give Belfast their first win of the season and their fans something to celebrate.
And In This Corner...
There was no love lost when Skellefteå met HC Davos in Switzerland. Fists started to fly in the first as several penalties were handed out in quick succession, including a pair of fighting majors. After the smoke had cleared, the Swedish side had managed to accrue an eye-popping 41 penalty minutes to Davos' 16, and still came away with a 5-2 win.
Two Game Days still remain as teams have their last chance to battle for Playoff places. Be sure to catch all the action when the CHL returns in early October!