IFK Helsinki and Neman Grodno both open with home-ice wins – for Neman, their first-ever CHL game is a shutout win! Also, Skelleftea won in Nitra and Litvinov won in Grenoble.
Grenoble 1–4 HC Litvinov
HIGHLIGHTS
In a game between two teams each making their CHL debuts, Czech champions HC Litvinov went into Grenoble and won. After a relatively even first period that was scoreless, Litvinov took advantage of some Grenoble penalties and broke it open in the second with 3 goals (2 of them on the power play) and a 15–6 advantage in shots. The teams then traded goals in the third. Michal Travnicek and Filip Pavlik each had a goal and an assist for Litvinov, while Sebastien Basillion broke Jaroslav Janus's shutout bid with 9 minutes to play.
“We had a very disciplined first period,” Grenoble coach Edo Terglav said about his team's start. He went on to say, “In second period, we did some things we shouldn’t do at this level. We took three or four penalties and we gave up two goals. At this level we need to be disciplined. All players need to be at the same level on the ice. They have good connections together, they are used to playing together. Now we need to prepare for next game, which will be a big road trip.”
HK Nitra 2–4 Skelleftea AIK
HIGHLIGHTS
Nitra faced a daunting task in their first CHL game, going up against one of Europe's best clubs. In the end they couldn't do it, but they wouldn't quit. Three times they fell behind two goals, and twice they were able to strike to get back within one, but no closer. Michal Valent kept his team close by making 40 saves, while Tibor Kutalek and 43-year-old legend Jozef Stumpel had 2 points each. For Skelleftea Jimmie Ericsson, Janne Pesonen and defenceman Tim Heed had 2 points each.
“We started strong and might have surprised them at first, but we couldn’t finish off our chances to get the first goal,” Nitra coach Antonin Stavjana lamented. “In the second period the momentum swung in their favour, but the 2–1 goal really mentally helped us. It would have been easy to give up but our boys never quit, whether it was 3–2 or even 4–2, we kept going right until the end.”
“We’re very fortunate to win this very difficult game,” said Skelleftea coach Hans Wallson. “It wasn’t easy for us to play against Nitra in this stormy atmosphere. I was pleasantly surprised by the fans - the noise level was fantastic. Nitra played better in the first period. It took us a long time until we got up to speed. They made it difficult, but finally we managed to find a way to win. We played against a strong opponent.”
Neman Grodno 2–0 Adler Mannheim
HIGHLIGHTS
Urged on by a jubilant home crowd, Neman Grodno were impressive as a team in their first-ever CHL game, shutting out German champions Adler Mannheim. The star of their win was goaltender Maxim Samankov, who stopped all 35 Mannheim shots, while Neman scored on 2 of 15. It was the power play where they did their damage, scoring in the first period with a man-advantage and in the second up two men – Milan Mikiluk from a sharp angle and then Michal Hovan on a cross-pass one-timer.
“First of all, I say a big thank to our fans. It is pleasure to play in such atmosphere,” said Neman coach Milos Holan. “We played well on the power play and it was a great experience for our players. We had a clear goal on the game and everobody played great today.”
“It was a tough game," said Mannheim head coach Greg Ireland. “I pay tribute to Neman, they battled great tonight. Also, we played well, but did not score on our chances. The puck didn't find the net on the PP, and Neman’s goalie played so well. The was intense due to the fact that the teams are playing in the Champions League – they are fighting for their cities and countries. I would not say that Neman’s game was a surprise. We saw a lot of videos. We expected that their fans would put a lot of pressure on us. I like how my team responded to the pressure."
IFK Helsinki 3–1 SC Bern
HIGHLIGHTS
Corey Elkins scored the first goal of the game ona wrap-around and assisted on Lauri Taipalus's game-winner as IFK Helsinki open Group A play with a win over visiting Bern. Trailing by 2 goals, Trevor Smith got his team on the board on the power play in the 48th minute, but that's the only shot that beat Ville Husso in the game. At the other end, Janick Schwendener was solid, stopping 25 of 27. Tomas Zaborsky rounded out the scoring with a late empty-net goal.
"This was a hard, tough game," IFK Helsinki coach Antti Tormanen began. "We came out skating well and got two goals very early in the game. We had opportunities to score even a few more goals, but we took some penalties and let SC Bern back in the game. In the second period we had the power plays but Bern had the best chances. It was a tight game until the very end. We were playing with only 18 players named on the roster, including some young guys. On the power play we weren't playing our best. Bern was pressuring hard and even we had some great scoring chances. When we couldn't score, their pressure made us look lousy. They had some power play opportunities too, even 5-on-3 and they have lots of experienced guys but they scored only once.”
"We practiced our penalty-kill tonight a lot, that's for sure,” Bern coach Guy Boucher said about the amount of time his team spent shorthanded. "Five-on-five we had a difficult start, they surprised us with their speed, but just as we got some scoring chances we went into the box. It was a good chance for us to try some pairings and lines, considering we have nine new players. Especially in the opening 10 minutes we didn't manage the puck well, which gave them two goals and we were playing catch-up hockey most of the game. They're a good team, and they deserved to win. The CHL is exciting because you get to travel, it helps the players bond faster, and you see new teams. We came here with the idea to get better, and enjoy the challenge.”