In their first game as defending CHL Champions, ZSC Lions Zurich got stiff resistance from visiting side Pinguins Bremerhaven, who tied the game in the third period and won it on a great solo effort in overtime from Jan Urbas.

The Pinguins looked like they might have opened the scoring at 14:25 when William Riedell’s shot from in close went over Šimon Hrubec’s shoulder but replay was needed to confirm that it didn’t go under the crossbar and through the netting.

The visitors did open the scoring shortly before the first period finished, however. With the Pinguins applying pressure in the Zurich zone, Bennet Roßmy backhanded the puck past a fallen Hrubec.

The Lions came back with a push in the second period and scored twice. They tied it in the 26th minute when a centring attempt by Rūdolfs Balcers went off the skate of Derek Grant in front and in the net.

After killing off a Bremerhaven penalty, the Lions took their first lead of the game on a powerplay of their own. With their top unit on the ice, Denis Malgin and Jesper Frödén set up Sven Andrighetto, and last season’s CHL MVP and Top Scorer made no mistake, beating Leon Hungerecker upstairs.

But Bremerhaven showed renewed vigor in the third period and the equalising goal came courtesy of their veteran Slovenes, with Miha Verlič deflecting Matthew Abt’s waist-high point shot past Hrubec with 7:50 to play.

Less than a minute later, the Pinguins went to the powerplay, but were unable to regain the lead. With overtime looming, Zurich made a push late in regulation but Hungerecker stood tall.

It took barely a minute of frantic back-and-forth action, with Hungerecker making a great save at one end, and Urbas scoring the winner at the other.