It was a chess match of a game that was dominated by an amazing performance from Rungsted Seier Capital goaltender Ville Kolppanen. HC Donbas Donetsk scored the first goal of the night and played valiantly on their Champions Hockey League debut, but not even a rocket was getting past Kolppanen in OT and the subsequent shootout.

There was no time to waste as the Ukrainian champions were eager to get their debut underway – as soon as the puck hit the ice, it was game time. Donbass spent the first half of the opening period playing high up the ice, passing the puck back and forth and properly testing out Rungsted goaltender Kolppanen who was forced to pull off some big saves.

The Ukrainians got their first powerplay midway through the period but had to wait for their second to score their first goal. At 17:07, Pavel Medvedev found the back of the Rungsted net on the powerplay and scored Donbass’ first-ever goal in the CHL as the home fans went wild.

Three minutes into the second period, Donbass had a big opportunity to double their lead with eighty seconds of five-on-three play, but Kolppanen pulled off a number of saves and Rungsted even managed to threaten the home side on the break.

33 minutes into the game, Rungsted, who were otherwise mostly on the defensive, were awarded a rare powerplay and they utilised it perfectly. Rasmus Andersson found the back of the home side’s net with a sneaky shot that caught Andrey Makarov off guard stick-side.

Rungsted found their mojo during four-on-four play in the final minutes of the second period peppering the Donbass net with shot after shot, but Makarov stood firm and protected his net valiantly, rounding out the second period action.

Both teams pushed for the net in the third period, as Donbass and Rungsted both recorded big chances and it didn’t take long for the goals to follow – at 47:51, Gustav Green fired Rungsted’s second of the night, giving them the lead for the first time in the game.

But their lead was short-lived as just minutes later, Donbass forward Oleksandr Peresunko launched the puck past Kolppanen to tie the game 2-2.

Emotions were high as both teams looked for a late goal to win the game but Rungsted’s André Pison took it one step too far at 56:51. His bad play earned him a five minute penalty and a big opportunity to end the game on the powerplay for Donbass.

Despite upping the pressure on the powerplay, the home team were just unable to get one past Kolppanen who pulled off save after save to keep Rungsted in the game.

Eventually, as the minutes ticked away, the game went to OT, but Kolppanen just wasn’t done. The Finnish goalkeeper was in the form of his life and nothing was getting past him. After five minutes, it was time for a shootout.

And what do you think happened? The netminder shutout Donbass to guide his side to victory with the help of Marcus Olsson, who scored the game-winning shootout goal, as Rungsted beat Donbass on their big night.