Kölner Haie, which had already clinched a spot in the Champions Hockey League Playoffs prior to Game Day 5, won their fifth straight CHL game, 3-0 over visiting side Herning Blue Fox. Nico Wiens made 26 saves for the shutout on this CHL debut.

Cologne went looking for goals right away and Marcel Noebels got a breakaway half a minute in but was slashed, resulting in a penalty shot. On the shot, Noebels tried the one-handed Peter Forsberg move but was denied by Jānis Fecers.

Despite carrying the play, the Sharks weren’t able to open the scoring until the 16th minute. On a 3-on-2 rush, Noebels dished to Dane Patrick Russell, who beat Fecers with a quick shot over the glove on the near side.

Cologne got off to another fast start in the second period, thanks to a Herning penalty in the last minute of the first. On the powerplay, they moved the puck around the attacking zone and Maximilian Kammerer’s quick shot from the off-hand flank found the net 42 seconds in.

Less than five minutes later, it was 3-0 when Ryan MacInnis set up Russell for the one-timer from the slot – his second of the game.

After a lull in play, the action picked up late in the middle frame when two penalties six seconds apart made it 4-on-4 for almost two minutes. When both players stepped out of the box, both Carlos Händel and Jared Kyle Dmytriw received breakaway passes but both failed to score in a wild back-and-forth sequence.

In the third period, the Sharks were more concerned with defence and protecting Wiens' shutout – which they managed to do without any more close calls.