The defending Champions brought out all the drama in their opener against GKS Katowice. For their part, the Polish side played well against Rögle Ängelholm and, at one point, even seemed destined to upset the Swedes. But a four-goal third-period comeback – punctuated by three unanswered goals in three minutes – was another example of how commanding this club can be.

Tony Sund potted the first goal of the CHL season 23 seconds in, but Rögle weren’t in the driver’s seat for long as Brandon Magee knotted it up eleven seconds later. Katowice would eventually take control thanks to the dynamic tandem of Grzegorz Pasiut and Bartosz Fraszko, both of whom were leading scorers in their domestic league last season.

Surprisingly, special teams were non-existent for the club that led the league in PP% last season. Nevertheless, the Swedes proved that they didn't need the man-advantage, scoring all five goals at even strength.

It was in the third period where Rögle focused their efforts as they were able to put home a trio in quick succession, two of which came off the stick of newcomer Riley Sheen. The Polish side would again tie it up, but it would be Samuel Jonsson who sealed Katowice’s fate, handing the Swedish side a hard-fought victory.

Fehérvár AV19, on the other hand, weren’t so fortunate on their CHL debut. The Hungarians were outplayed early and often by a more experienced ZSC Lions Zurich. 26-year-old Istvan Terbocs scored his club’s only goal in a 7-1 swashbuckling by the Swiss side.

Despite the loss, Fehérvár found themselves with several chances throughout the second period, but their inability to convert meant that they were left chasing the lead. The third period was another one controlled by the visitors as any chance of a comeback by the Hungarian side all but vanished completely.

With Rögle on tap, they’ll have to tap into that same level of play that saw them skate to the ICE final a few months ago.