After Game Days 3 and 4 Linköping HC has managed to stay undefeated and sit atop Group F. HC Bolzano avenged a couple of tough losses on Game Days 1 and 2 to beat second-place TPS Turku and then very nearly take Linköping to overtime. Still without a win, HC Pardubice did manage to sneak away with a point at home.

by Kris Bligh, with contributions from staff writers

For the first time this season the CHL headed to the hometown of 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Dominik Hasek with HC Pardubice hosting Linköping HC. The home team got the crowd roaring early with a power-play marker from Tomas Marcinko. However, the lead was short-lived as Sebastian Karlsson returned the favour with a power-play goal of his own. That goal seemed to open the floodgates for Linköping as they would add three more goals in the first period, with NHL first round pick Jakub Vrana assisting on two of them. The home team would push back in the second as Lukas Radil tapped one into the yawning cage and Tomas Zohorna added one with the man advantage. The Swedish squad added two more goals in third from Jeff Taffe and Mattias Sjogren to spoil Pardubice’s home debut in the CHL.

"We are happy for the win, but the score certainly does not match what was happening on the ice," said Linköping coach Roger Melin. "Pardubice has proven to be a very strong team. We started a little sleepy and in the second period had large defensive lapses. Gradually, however, we were able to improve and maintain the lead."

"We started well and it resulted in the first goal," said Pardubice coach Zdenek Venera. "Then we played the worst five minutes in the game, we made ​​some mistakes and Linköping made us pay. During the rest of the game, we created several chances but could not convert. Their fifth goal on the power-play ultimately decided it."

The other two members of Group F took to the ice in Northern Italy as HC Bolzano played host to Finnish squad TPS Turku. Heading into the game Bolzano had been outscored by opponents 14-0. 1:22 into the first period Mikko Rantanen took advantage of some sloppy defensive play to put the visitors up one. About three minutes later Radek Smolenak finished off a nice breakaway goal and things were looking all too familiar for the Italian hosts. Alternate captain Anton Bernard stepped up halfway through the first and scored two goals for Bolzano, much to the elation of the crowd. After a rather uneventful second period Marco Insam hammered home a nice feed from Mark Cullen to give Bolzano their first lead of the season. Ziga Pance added an empty netter to seal the first CHL victory for Bolzano.

"I am overjoyed," new Bolzano head coach Mario Simioni said, not surprisingly. "My players gave everything and showed great character. After falling behind 2-0 they didn't hang their heads and fought back into the game. We won as a team. Everyone played his part. I'm just proud of my team. I would have never thought after such a poor pre-season that two weeks after the 9-0 loss we would beat Turku here. This win will give us a lot of confidence."

"Bolzano played a really good defensive game. We had trouble finding open space," said TPS coach Kai Suikkanen. "In addition, Jaroslav Hubl provided strong goaltending. My players had the wrong attitude on the ice and after beating them 9-0 at home underestimated them. In addition, we made too many mistakes."

On Game Day 4, Pardubice played their second home game. This time it would be against a TPS squad reeling from a loss in Bolzano. The home team got off to a good start attacking hard, but Turku struck first as Ilkka Pikkarainen stole the puck from a defender and set up Niclas Lucenius for a nice finish. Ryan Lasch sent a bullet to the top corner to give Turku a two-goal cushion, but then Jan Semorad deflected in a point shot to put Pardubice on the board late in the first period, hoping to shift the momentum. The home team would carry that momentum into the second frame when Cramo Top Scorer Lukas Radil buried a shorthanded goal. Midway through the third period Radek Smolenak was awarded a penalty shot but he could not solve Pardubice goaltender Robert Kristan. After a scoreless overtime the teams headed to a shootout, here a nice top-shelf goal by Matias Sointu would stand as the winner. Even though suffering a loss, Pardubice did manage to pick up their first point.

“After our second goal we started to play a little bit individually," said TPS captain Petteri Nummelin. "We gave them too much time. But I’m happy how we fought in the third period because it wasn’t easy for us. I think we felt a little bit tired, but we fought till the end and I’m happy about the two points we gained.”

The final Group F match on the schedule for Game Day 4 featured a Bolzano team fresh off their first victory hosting undefeated Linköping. In a first period that saw four power plays, neither team was able to capitalise and get the lead. Early in the second, Jonas Almtorp muscled a defender off the puck and fed Oscar Sundh for a one-timer to get Linköpiing on the board. Bolzano again had numerous chances with the man advantage to tie the game but failed to do so and headed into the third down by one. However, with another power play in the third, Roland Hofer floated one on goal and it would find a way to beat the goaltender. It looked the this game would be heading to extra time if not for Vancouver Canucks draft pick Gustav Forsling, who hammered home a powerful shot from the point to keep Linköping undefeated.

"We had a good start to the game, but as it got near the end we ran into trouble against an opponent that played well positionally," Linköping coach Melin said. "We took the early lead, but Bolzano was a lot stronger than in the first game and got better over the course of this one. The game was on a knife's edge for a long time. I'm glad that after the 1-1 goal we were able to answer. The three points are very important for us in regard to the knockout stage. I must pay the Bolzano fans a compliment: the atmosphere in the arena was excellent."

"This defeat hurts, of course," Bolzano coach Simioni said understandably. "Nevertheless, I am very pleased with my team's performance. They have taken the next step forward. We've got a good base that we can build on. Unfortunately we again had only 16 skaters available. If we'd had a full roster, maybe we'd have taken a point or even more. We were able to keep the game up for grabs for a long time and had several power play chances to score goals. The 1-1 goal gave us a big boost. Then we wanted to win and, unfortunately, we took ​​an icing. I took the time-out so that my players could rest. Unfortunately we lost the face-off and the puck was quickly in our net."

Bolzano captain Alexander Egger explained the sudden turnaround by the team after two devastating losses in their first two games: "Before the first game (in Turku) we'd had only 10 on-ice practices as a team. The players didn't even known each other properly. In addition, we weren't used to the new ice surface yet. We knew that we weren't yet where we should be. At home, it also became easier to play. Our fans are like a wall behind us."

When Group F resumes on September 23 it will be the opposite ends of the spectrum as second place TPS Turku will host leaders Linköping HC, while last place Pardubice will host third place Bolzano with each looking to pick up valuable points.

Group F standings

Schedule and results