Release from 08.10.2019

Capitals and Graz miss CHL knockout stage

Short text 183 CharactersPlain text

On Tuesday spusu Vienna Capitals and Moser Medical Graz99ers suffered defeats in Champions Hockey League. Both teams miss the CHL knockout stage as they can go no further this season.

Press release 3395 CharactersPlain text

Knowing that anything other than a win would see them eliminated from this season’s competition, Vienna got the goal they needed to lead after one period in Poland. Riley Holzapfel put home the perfect feed from Ty Looney to put the Capitals one ahead with 14:59 gone. However it didn’t go to plan for the visitors in period two, as Tychy 35 seconds into the period Loney was called on a double minor for high-sticking, and Tychy made full use of their extra skater. First Aliaksei Yafimenka slotted home from close range, and then Peter Novajovsky crashed in a slapshot to put them 2-1 up. Some three minutes later Alex Wall levelled for the Capitals on a man advantage of their own, but at 30:03 Filip Komorski on the breakaway put Tychy back ahead. As Vienna pushed for the equaliser, Filip Komorski sped away to score on 1-on-0 and give Tychy their second ever win in the CHL. Vienna Capitals failed to make the last 16 in the Champions Hockey League, though.


Graz suffers tight home defeat to Mountfield
Mountfield were first to strike with just over five minutes to play in the opening period, Radek Smoleňák grabbed the games opening goal after the puck bobbled around the slot, falling favourably onto his stick and he slotted his chance past Cristopher Nihlstorp. Just moments later Graz thought they'd tied things up through Clemens Krainz but a review saw the hosts efforts disallowed and keep Mountfield in front. With less than 60 seconds remaining in the first, Mountfield doubled their advantage through Rudolf Červený as a rebound fell straight to him, and he buried his shot for a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. Neither side could find another goal in the second period of play, with both Cristopher Nihlstorp of Graz99ers and Marek Mazanec of Mountfield stopping everything they faced in the middle 20 minutes of play. Graz pressed in the third period but couldn't find a way past Mazanec to pull one goal back, and as time ticked on, Mountfield just continued to look destined for three points. As Graz ran into penalty trouble late in the game, it allowed Mountfield to tick away some valuable seconds towards victory. Graz finally found a way onto the scoresheet late in the game, but it wasn't only to ruin Marek Mazanec's shutout bid as Travis Oleksuk backhanded a rebound into the back of the net with 12 seconds remaining and it was too little too late as Mountfield took a 2-1 victory to put them second in Group H with one Group Stage game left to go.


Champions Hockey League, Game day 5 I 08.10.2019:
GKS Tychy (POL) - Vienna Capitals 4:2 (0:1, 3:1, 1:0)
Goals GKS: Aliaksei Yafimenka (21. Min., PP1), Peter Novajovsky (23. Min., PP1), Filip Komorski (31., 56. Min.)
Goals Caps: Riley Holzapfel (15. Min.), Alex Wall (26. Min., PP1)

Moser Medical Graz99ers – Mountfield HK (CZE) 1:2 (0:2, 0:0, 1:0)
Goal Graz: Travis Oleksuk (60. Min., PP1)
Goals Mountfield: Radek Smoleňák (15. Min.), Rudolf Červený (20. Min.)