Comparing their situations in the Champions Hockey League’s Group F so far this season, Villach SV and the Straubing Tigers are nearly mirror opposites. In their first four games against Färjestad Karlstad and Comarch Cracovia, Straubing have three wins and one loss and are tied for first with nine points, while Villach have one win and three losses and are tied for third with three points.

As a result, the Tigers travel to southern Austrian in a very good position with a chance to secure a place in the Round of 16, while Villach will take to their home ice looking to keep their chances of advancing alive.

It’s still very early but Villach are not off to a flying start in the domestic ICE, winning two of their first five games. They currently sit 10th in the 13-team international circuit. Their most recent game was a 2-1 home loss to the Graz 99ers on Sunday. Domestically, Villach are led offensively by centre Alexander Rauchenwald and defenceman Philipp Linder with five points each, while in the CHL their top scorers are a pair of Canadians: defenceman Nicolas Mattinen and forward Andrew Desjardins. Villach have six players with DEL experience, so the German style should come as no surprise to them, and American goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux has plenty of CHL experience.

Straubing, meanwhile, sit 11th in the 15-team DEL with three wins in seven games. Their most recent game is a 4-3 overtime win over Löwen Frankfurt on Sunday. Offensively, they’re led by a couple of Canadian forwards – Luke Adam with seven points in seven DEL games and Taylor Leier with five points in four CHL contests. In goal, it’s been American Hunter Miska all the way so far – he’s played every minute of every game in both of the team’s competitions.