HC Ambrì-Piotta needed a win on the road to stay alive in the hunt for a spot among the last 16 and did that in convincing fashion, shutting out HC05 Banská Bystrica 4-0. With the loss, the Slovak champs have been officially eliminated.

This was a must-win game for both teams and the visitors from southern Switzerland wasted little time asserting themselves by scoring twice in the first seven minutes. Johnny Kneubuehler opened the scoring by jamming home a puck amidst a goalmouth scramble and then 1:16 later, Matt D'Agostini carried the puck down the right wing and beat Tyler Beskorowany with a wrister over the glove.

D'Agostini put a dagger into the hearts of Banská Bystrica fans in the 27th minute when his big blast on the power play put his team in full control with a 3-0 lead. Then Austrian international Dominic Zwerger struck shorthanded late in the middle frame on an end-to-end rush followed by a brilliant between-the-legs finish.

The visitors then carefully defended in the third period to safeguard the shutout and the important victory. The three points combined with Färjestad Karlstad's loss to Red Bull Munich means that Ambrì-Piotta now trail the Swedish team by just one point for second place in the group, with both teams facing the same opponents next week.