Eisbären Berlin finally ticked the win column with a 4-1 victory over Graz99ers while Herning Blue Fox had a chance to secure their first win of the season, but fell in a shootout to Bílí Tygři Liberec.

After getting pummeled by Swiss sides Genève-Servette and HC Davos, the Germans finally found their footing and turned the tide in their favour. Leonhard Pföderl was instrumental in getting Berlin on the board and handled himself well in all situations - securing an equal strength goal to go along with a powerplay tally just before the initial period's end. This is exactly the type of production the Germans need going forward. If Pföderl and company can prove this wasn't a one-time fluke, then this could be the start of a new beginning for Berlin.

If Herning want to keep going in this competiton, though, they'll have to prove that the Germans' performance against the Austrians was an outlier. And this starts with establishing a presence with the puck - five total goals in three contests is paltry compared to what the successful teams are producing. Their three highest point producers each only have two points - Mathias Bau Hansen (2G), Jared Kyle Dmytriw (2A), and Matteus Vilmer Söderbom (1G, 1A) on the backend. These totals need to rise, otherwise Herning will continue to fall.