The Rouen Dragons hosted Ilves Tampere at Patinoire Nathalie Péchalat for their fifth game of the 2024/25 Champions Hockey League season. Both teams had faced challenges throughout the season but delivered an intense, hard-fought battle tonight that ultimately went to a shootout to decide the winner.

The opening period saw intense action from both sides, but it was Rouen who struck first. Jared Dmytriw scored a beautiful backhand shot just under the crossbar to give the home team the lead. Despite Ilves being more active throughout the period, they couldn’t break through Rouen's focused goaltender Oskari Setänen. The French, on the other hand, didn’t have any trouble finding the back of the net as Tommy Perret outmanoeuvred Ilves's goalie Jakub Málek with a slick backhander at 11:47, extending their lead to 2-0.

Ilves set the pace of the second period, controlling the play and adding more shots on goal. Their persistence paid off during a powerplay at 24:52 where Erik Borg scored to reduce Rouen’s lead to 2-1. The goal energised the Finns even more, but despite their best efforts, they couldn’t score again, and the period ended with Rouen holding a slim lead.

The third period saw Ilves continue their comeback as Jarkko Parikka scored to tie the game at 2-2. However, Rouen quickly regained the lead at 49:41 when Sebastian Bengtsson found himself in a breakaway opportunity that he perfectly utilised. Ilves refused to give up and with less than a minute left, Matias Mäntykivi equalised, taking advantage of an extra attacker by pulling their goalie. The game headed into overtime tied 3-3.

After a scoreless overtime, the game had to be decided in a shootout. Ilves came out on top, securing two points, while Rouen at least earned a single point - their first of 2024/25 - for their efforts.