Lahti Pelicans made their way to Italy for a tense showdown against the ICE's HC Bolzano. The stakes were high for both teams, providing plenty of reasons to battle for the W. Bolzano's fans anxiously cheered for their team, fully aware that a loss would shatter their Playoff aspirations. Meanwhile, Lahti were in dire need of points to move further up the Regular Season Standings and edge closer to Playoff qualification.

The neck-and-neck game witnessed full-throttle efforts from both sides, but in the end, only one team left the arena satisfied.

The opening period kicked off with plenty of energy, as both teams had their moments creating excellent scoring opportunities. One team struck gold at 10:44, as Michael Halmo seized the puck along the boards, carrying it until he found the perfect shot. Although the initial attempt was blocked by a focused Jussi Olkinuora, Connor Ford capitalized on the rebound in front of the net, sending it soaring past Lahti's exposed goal.

Lahti responded with an equaliser just over five minutes later. The away team’s goalie ventured a bit too far from the net, resulting in a wide pass intended for Nathan Schnarr. With a simple tap, Schnarr guided the puck across the goal line, bringing the first period to a close with a tied score.

Bolzano’s Luca Frigo didn't let the challenge of playing shorthanded deter him from reclaiming the lead for his team just four minutes into the second period. The scoreboard underwent three more changes during the middle 20 minutes of game time, with the away team consistently playing catch-up, ultimately concluding the period with a 3-3 tie.

The third period offered numerous goal-scoring opportunities, yet neither team managed to seize the lead, sending the game into overtime. Bolzano faced a setback when Christian Thomas picked up an unfortunate interference penalty, leaving his team short-handed.

This proved to be decisive as the visiting team's rising star Kasper Puutio skillfully manoeuvred the puck past the defence and netminder, shattering Bolzano's playoff dreams with the lengthy sound of the buzzer.