With a stunning third-period comeback, capped by Reto Suri’s game-winner with 1:28 to play, EV Zug have qualified for the Round of 16 as Group D winners. Kometa Brno took an early 2-0 lead and looked in good shape to qualify and they still might before the night’s over, depending on the outcome of Eisbären Berlin vs Neman Grodno.

Zug jumped hard out of the gate and got some chances but couldn’t beat Karel Vejmelka, and then Kometa struck twice in a span of less than two minutes. First, Ondřej Němec with a one-timer that beat a fallen Sandro Aeschlimann, and then Dalimil Mikyska on a rush down the left wing, with his shot beating Aeschlimann five-hole at 8:02.

At that point, it looked like Kometa might run away with the game, but they were unable to beat the Zug goalie for the rest of the game. It wasn’t until 48:50 that Zug finally solved Vejmelka, with Yannick Zehnder’s feed from behind the net being one-timed home by an unchecked Lino Martschini in front. Then with 3:52 on the clock, Yannick-Lennart Albrecht tied it by banging in a loose puck in the slot through a crowd.

It looked like the game was headed for overtime, but Swiss national team veteran Suri had other ideas, converting Martschini’s pass and leaving the Brno crowd stunned. With only 88 seconds left to work with, Kometa couldn't mount much of a counter-offensive, so now they must wait to see if they qualify tonight.