Champions Hockey League veterans Sparta Prague handily defeated KAC Klagenfurt by a 4-1 decision to kick off their seventh CHL appearance. Jakub Kovář made 20 of 21 saves en route to the win.

The Czechs' Mārtiņš Dzierkals drew first blood on a beautiful deke in front to give his club the lead three and half minutes in when he fought off a defender near Klagenfurt's blueline before skating in on a partial breakaway, going forehand-backhand and sliding the puck past a sprawling Florian Vorauer. 

Then in the second, it was Dzierkals again. This time shorthanded as the Top Scorer for Sparta chased down a loose puck along the far wall before sliding the puck again to his backhand and into the net to put the visitors up 2-0 at 32:03.

What was a two-goal lead eventually became a three-goal lead when Devin Shore found the net off a feed from Sparta veteran Michal Řepík. The 36-year-old gained control of the puck in the trapezoid before fending off a defender and backhanding a feed to Shore who was all alone at the top of the crease.

Klagenfurt were finally able to answer with a little over seven minutes to go in regulation. Finn Van Ee secured his first of the campaign when he finished off a beautiful stretch pass from Jesper Jensen Aabo to put his team on the board. The play developed in the Austrians' own end where the defenceman found Van Ee at the opposing blueline who then skated down the left wing and slid the puck under the pads of Kovář.

With still over two minutes to play, the home side decided to pull the netminder, but the visitors took advantage as Tomáš Hyka was able to net his first of the 2025/26 campaign to ensure his club's first victory and first points of the tournament.