Despite opening up scoring in the first period, HC Bolzano went down on their first road trip of the Champions Hockey League season to German side Adler Mannheim. The loss in regular time means zero points thus far, and the Italians will be under pressure to perform in their next game. 

Head Coach Niklas Sundblad knows what to expect from Ilves Tampere: “Finnish hockey is very defensive and I expect a solid team – they aren’t one of the best teams in Finland for no reason. Since we will be playing in front of our fans, we will try to take full advantage of our home ice.”  

Ilves Tampere in comparison experienced the best possible start to their season with a 3-1 win on the road against Czech rivals Dynamo Pardubice. The Finnish side potted a point per period, with forward Samuli Ratinen netting the game-winning goal in the second period.

The win in regular time gives Ilves three vital points, and the Finn’s will no doubt be looking to better their performance from last season where they finished 4th in the Group Stage of Group E. 

Ilves Head Coach Antti Pennanen is looking forward to the second away game where the Finns will test their mettle against the Italian side for the first time: “Bolzano have been a top team and have become used to success in recent years. They are very disciplined and always put a very competitive team on the ice – it’s going to be a great challenge competing with them!”