German giants Red Bull Munich, who placed 10th in the Regular Season standings, came out 3-2 on top during their First Game battle against 7th-ranked Swiss contenders Genève-Servette during the Champions Hockey League Round of 16.  

Two early goals from Munich’s Nicholas Krämmer and Chris De Sousa were enough to secure the lead, although Genève had a brilliant third period, with goals from Sakari Manninen and Daniel Winnik which brought them on the cusp of turning the game in their favour. 

With nine CHL qualifications in tow, Munich are serious contenders and have been for years. Their last three campaigns have seen them go as far as the Semi-Finals during their 2021/22 season, but this time last year they were dismantled by EV Zug during both their First and Return Games. 

This year, however, the team from Munich are forging a different path, and their last game showed a host of promising metrics. Munich outperformed on their counterparts on shots overall and shots on goal. A lack of discipline on Genève’s side saw 10 minutes of man-advantage time redirected to the Germans, enabling their offensive punch.  

Noteworthy is Austin Ortega who didn’t collect any points during the last game, but he pulled the trigger six times which was the most of any player that evening. Jonathon Blum picked up an assist and has so far equalled his total point tally of his last two CHL seasons combined with 10 points (1G+9A) over six games. He leads the league in both assists and shares a +8 plus/minus with Växjö Lakers defenceman Gabriel Carlsson. 

The German side also dominated on faceoff wins with 53% success compared to 15% by the Swiss, as well as a click under double the number of blocked shots showing just how gritty this team are in doing the dirty work on the ice.  

It wasn’t an easy night for the netminders on either team, Munich’s Mathias Niederberger, made 16 saves and allowed two goals on his watch to clock a save average of 88.89%, while Robert Mayer made 29 saves, and allowed the puck into the back of the net three times to record a save average of 90.63%.  

With four CHL qualifications to their name, Genève may have a fraction of the CHL experience of their German rivals but they’ve assembled an impressive roster. Forward Tanner Richard leads the offensive charge with eight assists over his seven appearances, along with blueliner Sami Vatanen (1G+7A), while Teemu Hartikainen has been good for a point per game (3G+4A). 

While Genève Head Coach Jan Cadieux conceded that his team could have moved the puck better and played too complicated, the Swiss team are not critically disadvantaged. A one goal buffer remains a manageable gap to close, especially your bench has high calibre playmakers such as Valtteri Filppula.

With Genève under intense pressure to find their scoring prowess or exit, the Return Game could go either way. Expect a close match-up as two star-studded rosters lock horns.