Fribourg-Gottéron host reigning German champions Eisbären Berlin at the BCF Arena for Game Day 5 of the 2024/25 Champions Hockey League season. With both teams currently in the Top 16, they know they can’t afford to relax and will be eager to secure much-needed points.

Fribourg have had a relatively successful season so far, sitting in 13th place with a 2-2 win-loss record. However, they had a tough time in their most recent game, suffering a 7-3 defeat against reigning Czech Extraliga champions Oceláři Třinec. To stay in the battle for a spot in the Playoffs, they’ll need to step up their game.

One key area for improvement is their powerplay, as they have yet to capitalise on any opportunity. On the bright side, their penalty kill has been nearly flawless, conceding just once while successfully fending off ten.

Eisbären have had an even stronger season so far, with three wins and just one loss, which came on Game Day 1 against the Växjö Lakers. Like Fribourg, the Eisbären have also struggled on the powerplay, failing to convert any of their nine opportunities. However, they have been solid defensively, allowing fewer than two goals per game on average.

This promises to be an interesting matchup, as both teams need the extra points to solidify their place on the qualifying side of the leaderboard.

Watch out for Berlin's netminder Jake Hildebrand who boasts an impressive 94.62% save percentage, as well as Fribourg’s Marcus Sörensen who has contributed two goals and four assists to his team’s efforts.