Red Bull Salzburg win Champions Hockey League round of sixteen first leg at Lahti Pelicans

EC Red Bull Salzburg narrowly won 2:1 away to Lahti Pelicans in the first leg of the Champions Hockey League round of sixteen, giving themselves the perfect starting position for next week's return leg. The Red Bulls' goals were scored by Mario Huber, shorthanded (26th), and Troy Bourke (45th).

12 November 20241 min read

In an exciting and evenly matched contest, Mario Huber gave the visitors from Salzburg the lead while shorthanded in the 26th minute. However, the Finnish hosts responded promptly, with Lars Bryggman equalising for the twelfth-placed Liiga side just under three minutes later.

Salzburg were slightly more dominant thereafter and created several good chances. Troy Bourke eventually restored the Red Bulls' lead in the 45th minute. This time, Salzburg held firm and secured an excellent starting position for the return leg on Wednesday, 20th November.

Lahti Pelicans are one of the established teams in the Finnish Liiga and have repeatedly produced strong performances in recent years. Having finished third in the Liiga under head coach Ville Nieminen in 2018/2019, the Pelicans qualified for the CHL for the first time.

CHL playoff format

The top 16 teams from the 24-team field contest the playoff round of sixteen. 1st plays 16th, 2nd plays 15th, and so on. This then determines the playoff bracket through to the final. Playoff ties are decided over two legs, with aggregate goals decisive if the teams are level on points. Only the final is played as a winner-takes-all match.

Champions Hockey League – round of sixteen first leg

Lahti Pelicans vs. EC Red Bull Salzburg 1:2 (0:0,1:1,0:1)
Tue, 12th November 2024, 17:30
Red Bull Salzburg scorers:Mario Huber (26th/SH1), Troy Bourke (45th)

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