Four days and 32 games later, the Champions Hockey League has already had its fair share of surprises and upsets. Here are some moments that shaped the first two Game Days of the 2022/23 season of the pan-European competition.
Game Day 1
Goals! Get Your Goals Here!
GKS Katowice and Rögle Ängelholm kicked off the 2022/23 Champions Hockey League with a barn burner that saw 9 pucks enter the net.
The Polish side were up with one period to play, but the reigning CHL Champions turned the tide in spectacular fashion, notching three tallies in three minutes!
Shutout and Shutdown
Scores continued to climb as the night’s action went on. Swedish side Färjestad Karlstad had their own breakout party against Villach SV from Austria.
The hosts put seven past Jean-Philippe Lamoureux all the while keeping their net empty in a blow-out that cemented Färjestad as the team to beat in Group F.
The Crowd Gathers
It's been two years since the Straubing Tigers first qualified for the CHL, and now the fans from the Bavarian town finally get to watch their team compete against Europe’s elite.
All their excitement surely showed as supporters showed up in droves to witness Straubing take down Comarch Cracovia 4-0 to register their first-ever CHL win in their first-ever CHL game!
Times They Aren't Changin'
Back in 2019/20, Czech side Mountfield HK met Frölunda Gothenburg in the CHL Final and came out on the losing side of things.
This season, the team from Czechia was given a chance at redemption as they lined-up against Frölunda for their first match of the season and very first match in the CHL since the big night back in Hradec Králové in 2020.
But not much changed as Mountfield fell again to the Swedish side by a 4-2 final.
Game Day 2
Reality Check
German side Eisbären Berlin were riding high following their 8-2 trouncing of Grenoble on Game Day 1. But their fixture against Frölunda would go a decidedly different way as the Swedish would score en masse against Eisbären to the tune of 7-1.
Polish Hockey Rejoice!
While Katowice were putting on the dramatics in their OT win over ZSC Lions Zurich, Cracovia were also pulling out all the stops as they secured their first-ever win in the CHL.
The final contest of Game Day 2 was a game of inches as both clubs kept it close through 50 minutes of action. Roman Rác’s steal and score, however, was the difference maker that gave fans all across Poland something to celebrate.
Ilves is in the House
Dramatic OT finishers were on the menu in this second set of CHL action and Finnish side Ilves Tampere were serving a main course in their nail-biter versus Red Bull Salzburg.
Joona Ikonen lifted his squad over the Austrians when he blazed in on a breakaway and roofed the puck over Atte Tolvanen’s blocker to give his team the victory.
Home Ice Hero
Oceláři Třinec struck late in the game to tie things up in their match-up against Skellefteå AIK. But just as things were looking to go the Czechs’ way, Jonathan Jonsson spoiled their comeback bid when he collected his own rebound on breakaway to give his side the OT victory.
Who will push their way to the top and who will be left behind? Find out as we gear up for another round of CHL action this week!