The first two game days are in the books in the 2019/20 Champions Hockey League season, and while it is still early days in the competition, teams are already looking to put themselves in good positions in their respective groups, and Group E is currently the closest with just two points separating top from bottom.
Finnish side Kärpät Oulu currently occupy top spot with four points coming from a regulation win and overtime defeat, while SC Bern and Grenoble both sit one point behind on three points, while Skellefteå AIK are currently in fourth on two points.
Kärpät’s loss came at the hands of Bern, thanks to an overtime winner by Mark Arcobello midway through the extra session to give the Swiss side their first victory of the competition following a shootout loss in their opening game against Skellefteå.
„They came out really hard and managed to score. We did a great job pushing back and started to be more aggressive.“ Arcobello said after the win.
3 vs 3 is crazy, we go back and forth and I got the chance to score two on one.Mark Arcobello
„It was a great win for us and great test for our character. 3 vs 3 is crazy, we go back and forth and I got the chance to score two on one.“
„It’s good for us to play home next, we don’t have road trips like that really often and we were pretty tired, especially today.“
While Bern return home with three out of a six possible points, Kärpät start their road trip with a trip to France to take on Grenoble, who they defeated on game day one in a 3-1 scoreline, and they’ll look to pick up some crucial points to remain top of Group E after this weekend’s action.
In the overtime loss to Bern, Kärpät had a strong start, with Michal Krištof finding the back of the net just 19 seconds into the game.
„The first period was the best in the whole season for us, but in the second period they started to pressure us a lot more and we couldn’t play our game“ Krištof said following the defeat.
„In overtime we didn’t use our spots and that’s why we lost. It’s not going to be easy but we have to keep fighting next week.“ Group E action continues on Thursday evening with Grenoble hosting Kärpät Oulu, while SC Bern take on Swedish side Skellefteå AIK.
Every team in the CHL is really strong so we need to handle these kind of situations better than we did today.Michal Krištof
Group E action continues on Thursday evening with Grenoble hosting Kärpät Oulu, while SC Bern take on Swedish side Skellefteå AIK.