Ilves Tampere hosted Pinguins Bremerhaven for the Return Game of the Round of 16 in the 2025/26 Champions Hockey League. With a narrow 3-2 result in the First Game, the tie could still swing either way, but it was Ilves who came out on top, extending their perfect win record to 8-0 by winning the Return Game 5-2.

The opening twenty minutes belonged entirely to Ilves. The hosts allowed the Germans almost nothing offensively while creating several dangerous rushes of their own, two of which they converted. The first goal came at 3:13, courtesy of Luke Henman, who received a pass from the right goal line into the slot and made full use of the perfect shooting position. He completed the 5-on-3 powerplay with a quick deke and roofed the puck under the crossbar. The second goal arrived at 19:18, when Erik Borg doubled the lead, making it 2-0 in the game and 5-2 on aggregate heading into the break.

The second period was much less one-sided. Bremerhaven levelled the game within the first five minutes to make it 2-2 on the night. Ilves appeared to retake the lead shortly afterwards, but video review confirmed that the puck had not fully crossed the goal line, and the goal was waved off. Just when it looked like both teams would head into the intermission tied, Erik Borg broke away and finished with a brilliant deke to give Ilves a 3-2 advantage.

The third period was once again controlled by the hosts. At 52:40, Jens Lööke pressured goaltender Leon Hungerecker, who mishandled the puck and accidentally fired it off his own teammate. The puck bounced loose, leaving Lööke with an easy finish into the empty net to restore Ilves’ two-goal cushion. It was a mistake the German goaltender will long regret. At 56:39, Ilves added an empty-netter to establish a three-goal lead, which proved far too much for the visitors to overcome.

With the final buzzer sounding, Ilves claimed a 5-2 victory, winning the two-game series 8-4 on aggregate and securing their place in the Quarter-Finals.