Puck dropped on the opening match-up of the 2022/23 Champions Hockey League in Katowice, Poland as Rögle Ängelholm squared off against GKS Katowice and right away both teams had their legs going.

Tony Sund claimed the honour of scoring the first goal of the season just 21 seconds in to give the visitors the early lead. The defenceman coralled a pass from Marco Kasper and skated down the left circle before firing it shortside past veteran netminder John Murray.

Murray's Swedish counterpart Calle Clang was tested 11 seconds later when Katowice's Brandon Magee received a pass down low, glided to the crease and flittered a backhander past the goalie to even things up. The home side continued their attack, adding to their lead 5:23 into the game.

Grzegorz Pasiut was the beneficiary of a give-and-go with Bartosz Fraszko. The 35-year-old center found open ice, skated into the slot, and rocketed it far side past Clang to make it 2-1.

Pasiut and Fraszko found themselves on the scoresheet again less than five minutes into the middle stanza. Clang bobbled a Pasuit wrister and Fraszko was in position to bang home the bouncing puck.

Beginning the third period, the Swedish side were facing an uphill battle down by a pair and came out desperate.

But what was looking like a possible upset for the home side was quickly brought back to reality when Rögle scored three straight goals in the span of four minutes.

Newcomer Riley Sheen kicked things off at 41:44 followed by an equaliser courtesy of Adam Tambellini, Sheen capped off the comeback with his second of the night to give the Swedish side a 4-3 lead.

Momentum swings would continue, though, as the hosts would bring the energy back to their side when Hampus Olsson found the net to knot things up with more than half of the period to play.

But Katowice's energy would be short-lived.

30 seconds later, defenceman Samuel Jonsson fired one home to give the team in green and white their third lead of the contest.

Still down by one in the closing minutes, Katowice pulled Murray in favour of an extra attacker. But a determined Swedish side stonewalled their hosts' chances and skated away with the three points in this hard-fought opener.