In their final home game of this Champions Hockey League Regular Season, the Straubing Tigers came from behind to beat Dynamo Pardubice 3-2. It’s a big win for the Tigers, who now have eight points. After winning their first two games at home decisively, Pardubice banked just one point from their two-game road trip in Germany.

All three Straubing goals in the game were on the powerplay. The two teams traded first-period powerplay goals. Mario Zimmermann opened the scoring for Straubing just shy of the period’s halfway mark when his wrist shot from the point hit a Pardubice stick and went up and under the crossbar behind Roman Will.

Pardubice tied it on a 5-on-3 with five minutes to go in the opening frame. Robert Kousal below the goal line relayed a pass out front to Tomáš Zohorna, and his quick shot beat Florian Manuel Bugl over the glove to the far side.

The Tigers dominated most of the second period but Will stood tall in the Pardubice net, keeping the game tied. In the last minute, however, the visitors came with a mighty push, first ringing a shot off the crossbar and then, with just 25 seconds remaining in the period, took the lead. David Musil’s rising shot through a crowd hit Bugl, but the puck found some space between the goalie’s arm and body and dribbled across the line.

Undaunted, the Tigers went back to the attack at the start of the third period and quickly drew a power play, and it took them just 12 seconds to cash in. From the half-wall, Mike Connolly sent a pass out front to Joshua Samanski, who shot quickly. Will stopped him, but Samanski put in his own rebound.

Then a penalty to Ondřej Vála with 5:45 to play gave the Straubing powerplay a chance to go back to work. Pardubice almost killed it off but, in the dying seconds of the penalty, Marcel Brandt absolutely leaned into a shot from the point that again hit a Pardubice stick and beat Will high to the stick side.

The door opened a crack for Pardubice when Elis Hede was called for slashing with 1:32 to go, and with Will on the bench to make it a 6-on-4 advantage, they came close to tying it in a frantic final minute but just couldn’t beat Bugl.