- 3rd period come back gives Ice Tigers all 3 points
- Will Acton: 2 goals, 1 assist in final 20 minutes
- Kärpät Oulu: unbeaten record ends
Just a week after a physical conteset between the THOMAS SABO Ice Tigers and Kärpät Oulu saw the two teams rack up 171 penalty minutes, they were back to renew their rivalry in Germany this time, with Kärpät looking to secure top spot in Group F of the Champions Hockey League with a win.
Kärpät got off to a great start as well, at the midway point of the opening frame, a great hesitation at the blueline saw Shaun Heshka’s shot from the high slot find it’s way past Andreas Jenike for the first goal of the night as Lasse Kukkonen was out in front providing the screen on the powerplay.
Just a few minutes later, though, the Ice Tigers got themselves right back in it as Brandon Buck burst into the zone, before finding Chris Brown wide open on the other side of the ice, and his perfectly placed pass set up Brown for a wide-open net to tie the game.
Early in the second period and with a man in the box, it was Kärpät again getting on the board with a shorthanded goal from Mika Pyörälä after a wrap-around attempt from Michal Krištof was denied by Jussi Rynnäs saw the rebound fall right on his stick. Kärpät extended their lead later in the period as Lasse Kukkonen tapped in a rebound right in front of the net, giving them a two-goal cushion to protect with just 20 minutes separating them from claiming top spot of the group.
But that’s where the Ice Tigers came to crash the party, spurred on by their home fans, and it wasn’t long until they started clawing their way back into the game.
A partial shorthanded breakaway by Will Acton was initially stopped as the puck sailed wide, but on the stuff attempt on the rebound, it took video review to confirm that Brandon Segal was the last to touch the puck as it trickled over the line, making it a 3–2 game early in the third.
Moments later, Acton was back at it again, this time firing a shot from an awkward angle that beat Rynnäs to tie the game, before he capped off a brilliant 20 minutes of play with a second goal with just shy of five minutes left to play, giving the Ice Tigers a great comeback victory to deny Kärpät a chance at topping the group, leaving Group F wide open going into the final two games next month.