With the first weekend of Champions Hockey League action almost done, Game Day 2 continues as Yunost Minsk host Oceláři Třinec of the Czech Republic, looking to end the opening weekend strong as the battle for positions in Group D heats up. Minsk entered their second game in second spot thanks to an overtime win against Lausanne HC while Třinec went into their second game still searching for their first points of the campaign after an opening game loss to the Lahti Pelicans.

Despite their best efforts, neither side was able to find the go-ahead goal in the opening 20 minutes of play. Třinec had a slight advantage in terms of shots on goal, with 10 against Igor Brikun in the Minsk goal, while Petr Kváča stopped 9 in the Třinec goal. Eventually the red light went on and it was the home crowd who got to cheer the games opening goal just minutes into the second period. With both players having a player in the penalty box, there was a lot more ice to work with as it became a 4 on 4 situation, and that suited Nikita Mitskevich perfectly as he fired his shot between the netminders legs to make it 1-0 to Minsk. With penalty troubles mounting for Třinec, Minsk had plenty of opportunities to open a two-goal cushion, but it was to no avail as Kváča shut the door for the rest of the second period, and Minsk held a narrow 1-0 lead going into the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Minsk weren’t able to grab a powerplay goal in the second period but it didn’t take them long in the third for their special teams to finally pay off as Andrei Gerashenko made it a 2-0 score line, and with no goals coming for either side for the rest of regulation, it have Minsk their second win of the tournament, taking them up to five points, while Třinec are still searching for their first points after the opening weekend of action.