In what is was figured from the outset to be a tight group, both JYP Jyväskylä and the Vienna Capitals were involved in one-goal games that could have gone either way in their openers. JYP came out on the winning side thanks to a late goal against EV Zug, while Vienna lost in overtime to Neman Grodno. The game between these two teams figures to be just as tight, and both teams expect a challenge.

About Sunday’s opponents, JYP Head Coach Marko Virtanen said: “We’ve played against the Vienna Capitals before and it’s a really good, skilled team. I think the match-up will be really interesting.”

“We’re going to be able to make some adjustments for game two,” said Vienna Capitals Head Coach Serge Aubin following Friday’s overtime loss in Grodno. “JYP is a team that cannot only hurt you with the skill level but plays extremely well defensively and a physical game. It is a great chance for us to see where we measure ourselves compared to those great teams.”