Tappara Tampere captain Otto Rauhala scored 43 seconds into overtime to end a wild, back-and-forth game against Eisbären Berlin that saw three lead changes. That’s the first point Tappara have conceded in Group E but they’re still first place with eight points, while Berlin are still fourth but have their first point after an inspired effort.

In a first period that was evenly played, for the most part, Tappara outshot Berlin 11-9 and each team had one power play. Around the middle of the frame, Tappara really began to put on the pressure, though.

First, on a 2-on-1 break, Rauhala chose to shoot high but Tobias Ancicka got a shoulder on it. The puck stayed in the Berlin zone, though, and moments later it was in the net when Charles Bertrand got a rebound and fed Santtu Kinnunen, who beat Ancicka inside the far post.

Berlin’s first-period power play carried over into period two, and it took Die Eisbären only 44 seconds to tie it. Blaine Byron tried to stuff it in the near side, then went around the net and found Leonhard Pföderl, who one-timed it in.

That was the start of a dominant half-period by Berlin, who had the lead before the middle frame was five minutes old when Giovanni Fiore put in the rebound following Zach Boychuk’s drive to the net. And it was 3-1 at 30:42 on another rebound goal – this time Pföderl’s second of the game following a great drive by Nicholas Jensen.

But Jukka Peltola was able to stunt that momentum just 23 seconds later when he converted Kyle Platzer’s cross-ice pass and found the back door. Then on a power play with just 34 seconds left in the period, Joni Tuulola tied it up on a rebound following a point shot by Brady Austen.

That would be the first of five straight Eisbären penalties that would cost them another goal, but fortunately for them, not more. Two calls 31 seconds apart in the 45th minute put them down two men, and Austen gave Tappara their first lead since the first period.

Then two more Berlin penalties 1:08 apart near the middle of the frame gave Tappara another 5-on-3 but this time they couldn’t capitalize. Instead, it was Berlin tying it back up on a power play of their own with 5:33 to go when Matthew White finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play that Christian Heljanko had no chance on.

The game continued to be wide-open, though, and Tappara had a brilliant chance to regain the lead about a minute later on a 2-on-1 with Waltteri Merelä trying to hit the five-hole but Ancicka closing it up.

That was all until OT, and playing 3-on-3, it didn’t take Tappara long to finish it, as Anton Levtchi took control of the puck along the boards and found the captain just inside the blueline. Rauhala skated into the slot and picked the top corner over Ancicka’s blocker to end the game.