After the first leg in early November, nothing could separate the Frölunda Indians and HC Lugano as the two sides looked to keep their Champions Hockey League season going, and with the tie moving to Sweden, the fans we’re treated to a goalscoring spectacle.

In front of their home fans, Frölunda wasted absolutely no time in kicking off the scoring. Just 50 seconds into the contest Jonathan Sigalet put the hosts in front, redirect the puck past Elvis Merzlikins after some great puck retention by Samuel Fagemo set them up for the opening goal.

Before the period was over, Lugano would manage to respond with a goal of their own. A great rush up the right-hand side by Matteo Romanenghi saw his shot turned aside by Johan Gustafsson before the loose puck sprung to Taylor Chorney who couldn’t tuck away his chance, but Alessio Bertaggia had followed the play all the way to tuck in the second rebound, levelling the scores once more heading into the second period.

After grabbing a goal midway through the first, Bertaggia was on hand again midway through the second, this time recovering the puck in his own zone before turning on the jets to rush up ice, finishing with a rocket of a wrist shot to give the visitors the lead.

Just a few short seconds later and Lugano were cheering again, some fantastic forechecking by the Swiss side set up Jani Lajunen for a tap in to make it 3–1 on the evening, and 4–2 overall in Lugano’s favour.

Frölunda weren’t about to give up, and as Lugano saw two players go to the box for a trip and also for too many men, it gave Ryan Lasch the chance to add to his record-setting point totals as the CHL’s all-time leading scorer, adding another goal to make it a one-goal game with only one period left to play, as he snuck his shot short-side at the 35-minute mark.

With just a goal separating the sides, it set up for a dramatic finish and the hosts struck first in the last 20 minutes. Sebastian Stålberg struck home an equaliser with a great shot that found the roof of the net with 15 minutes to play.

Both sides traded another goal each as Raffaele Sannitz briefly put Lugano back in the lead, only to see Samuel Fagemo cancel that out four minutes later, and then it was almost sudden-death hockey in the final five minutes.

Eventually, Frölunda prevailed. Lasch was the man of the moment with just minutes to go, firing home the game-winner with a mad scramble in front of the net for his second goal and fourth point of the night, sending the two-time CHL champions through to the Quarter-Finals.