DEL side Adler Mannheim picked up their fifth win of the 2023/24 Champions Hockey League season last night, beating Slovak side HC Košice 4-1.
For the Germans, this game was a battle for all-important points to help them rise the Regular Season Standings while for Košice it was just a formality as they were sure to miss the Playoffs, regardless of the result.
However, that didn't stop Košice from putting on a show as they wanted to go out with a bang.
They took a 1-0 lead at the very end of the first period and had multiple chances saved by the Mannheim goalie as they were the stronger team of the first 20 minutes.
"It was a slow start from us," admitted Mannheim's Jordan Murray after the game, "they're a good team that work extremely hard. They also have some big, skilled guys."
But two second-period goals tilted this game in the visitors' favour which was no surprise for Murray: "We're a resilient group and we always try to get back into the game and win"
"A good win for us!"Jorday Murray, Adler Mannheim
What changed between a sloppy first period and two clinical period from then on?
"We might have took them a bit too lightly in the first period," commented Murray, "but we switched on in the second and were able to turn the game around to take the win"
Die Adler topped the Regular Season Standings with 16 points from five regulation wins and one OT loss. Where do they go from there?
"Our goal is to win the CHL - we'll do everything we can to achieve that," replied the 30-year-old
"Whoever we play, we'll be ready for them," commented Murray before he knew that his team would be lining up against the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the Round of 16.
The full Round of 16 schedule will be released soon - be sure to return to our website over the coming days!