- Ingolstadt clinch first-ever trip to the CHL Quarter-Finals
- Salzburg's push not enough to overcome deficit from the First Game
- The German team's offence continues to be a force to be reckoned with
Entering the Return Game of this Round of 16 series with a multi-goal advantage on scoring was the difference maker as ERC Ingolstadt were able to fend off a frenetic push by Red Bull Salzburg and defeat them by a final score of 9-6 on aggregate to clinch a trip to the Champions Hockey League Quarter-Finals.
Salzburg's Brandon Coe got things started when he chased down a loose puck and then fired it glove side to reduce the Austrians' deficit to three goals. The play developed when Nash Nienhuis flipped the puck into the neutral zone as Coe corralled it and let go of an immediate wrister.
Nearly ten minutes later, though, it was Ingolstadt restoring their four-goal aggregate advantage off the stick of Austen Keating, who buried one on the backhand on a partial breakaway.
Scoring continued in the first with another tally to Salzburg's credit. Nienhuis found himself on the scoresheet for a second time when he produced the hosts' second goal of the night, a blast from the blueline that whizzed through traffic and past Nico Pertuch.
The hosts maintained their ascent to tying the aggregate scoring when Travis St. Denis notched his first of the season with a weird one during a delayed penalty scenario. St. Denis redirected the puck towards the net, but as the netminder attempted the save, he knocked the goal off its mooring. The play was reviewed and the Austrians were eventually awarded the tally, reducing Ingolstadt's lead to two goals.
The Germans would get one near the midway mark to extend their advantage to three goals. A costly giveaway from inside Salzburg's own zone allowed Philipp Krauß to take control of the puck, dust it off and roof it over David Kickert to all but cement the visitors' victory.
The Austrians would pull their netminder with over eight minutes still to play in regulation and were eventually awarded a powerplay, which Mario Huber scored on to close the goal gap again. An empty-netter from Daniel Schmölz, however, would silence the crowd as Salzburg's undecisive play in the First Game came back to haunt them as Ingolstadt move on while the Austrians bow out.