CHL: Salzburg lose to Fribourg – VSV eliminated early

EC Red Bull Salzburg lost the Champions Hockey League top-of-the-table clash against Fribourg-Gottéron in Group E for early qualification for the knockout stage 0:1. Next Wednesday's return leg in Switzerland will decide progression to the round of sixteen. EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV lost 1:3 to the Straubing Tigers in the Champions Hockey League on Tuesday and are therefore out of contention for the knockout stage.

05 October 20222 min read

In a fast-paced game from the outset, Salzburg had the better of the first period, although they had to play with only four skaters twice towards the end. The teams went into the dressing rooms scoreless after 20 minutes.

The pace remained high after the break, with play continuing to swing back and forth. Tyler Lewington (31th) from mid-range and Ali Wukovits one-on-one with visiting goaltender Connor Hughes (32nd) both squandered excellent opportunities. In the 34th minute, the Swiss took the lead against the run of play as Janne Kuokkanen scored on the rebound.

Salzburg immediately stepped up again and created several good chances. The best fell to Benjamin Nissner (37th), who was denied twice by the Fribourg netminder. The Red Bulls came close to an equaliser but went into the second break trailing 0:1.

In the final period, the Red Bulls raised the tempo once more and, apart from an early penalty kill, were hardly pushed out of the offensive zone. However, the Swiss closed down the spaces in front of goal and looked to counterattack.

Despite further chances, it remained 0:1 after 60 minutes. In a week's time, the return leg at Fribourg-Gottéron will be a genuine decisive match for the Red Bulls in their bid to reach the CHL playoffs. The leaders of the win2day ICE Hockey League are in second place after five group games, behind Fribourg-Gottéron and one point ahead of third-placed Ilves Tampere.

VSV out of the running for the round of sixteen

EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV needed a win in their home game against the Straubing Tigers to retain a chance of reaching the round of sixteen.

At the start, much pointed towards the required victory. Robert Sabolic gave the “Eagles” the lead in the 13th minute in front of 2.359 spectators. It lasted until the 34th minute, when Taylor Leier equalised for the visitors from Germany.

In the 45th minute, Straubing completely turned the game around through a goal from J.C. Lipon, before Leier sealed the result with an empty-net goal 18 seconds before the end. Straubing have therefore joined Färjestad as confirmed round-of-sixteen qualifiers from Group F. The return leg between Straubing and Villach takes place next Tuesday.