- Mannheim took huge 6-1 win in first meeting
- Vienna’s Riley Holzapfel leads the CHL with five assists
- Young forward Tim Stützle impressing for Mannheim with three points
It’s the last day of competition before the Champions Hockey League takes a break until October, and over in Group F, Adler Mannheim and Vienna Capitals hit the ice looking to pick up some crucial points on Game Day 4 to put themselves in prime position to qualify for the next round.
Mannheim come in with a perfect record so far, with three wins in three outings, one of which coming in overtime against GKS Tychy as they sit top of the group. On Friday night, Mannheim played their first game of the year on home ice in a game that ended in a convincing 5-0 victory over Tychy, thanks to four goals in the opening period. With five different scorers on the night, the German side have plenty of offensive weapons at their disposal, one of which coming in the form of 17-year-old forward Tim Stützle who has two goals and an assist so far in the tournament.
Vienna had their struggles on home ice early in the Group Stage, but with one game on the road under their belt, they make the trip to Germany looking to continue their impressive road form that saw them pick up a 6-3 victory over Djurgården Stockholm, securing their first points of the season. Vienna scored three unanswered goals in the third period to secure their first win of the season, with three players registering two points on the evening. They’ll look to Riley Holzapfel to continue to be the setup man against Mannheim with his tournament leading five assists, but they’ll need to tighten up defensively against a strong Mannheim attack if they’re to come away with three points again.