Ābols scores first Swiss league goals as Bern beats Davos
Rodrigo Ābols netted his first goals of the Swiss National League season and set up the winner as Bern beat Davos 5:2. Several other Latvian hockey players were also in action across European leagues.
In the Swiss National League, Rodrigo Ābols scored his first goal of the season six minutes into the opening period, putting Bern ahead of Davos. He later added an assist on what proved to be the winning goal as Bern claimed a 5:2 victory. Ābols finished with two shots on goal, a plus-2 rating and seven won faceoffs.
Rūdolfs Balcers' Zurich side beat Langnau 4:3 with a late winner, though both Balcers and Langnau's Oskars Lapinskis posted negative plus-minus numbers. Denis Smirnovs' Ajoie blew a 3:0 lead against Servette but still won in a shootout, with Smirnovs picking up an assist. In the second-tier Swiss League, Sandis Smons scored the opening goal as Chur beat GCK Lions 6:3, while Emīls Veckaktiņš (a goal and an assist) and Darels Dukurs both scored in Sierre's 8:4 win over La Chaux-de-Fonds, whose captain Toms Andersons recorded two assists.
In the Czech Extraliga, Roberts Mamčics assisted on the opening goal as Karlovy Vary claimed their first win of the season, beating Mlada Boleslav, for whom Fēlikss Gavars picked up an assist. Jānis Jaks suffered a loss with Litvinov, Mārtiņš Dzierkals fell in a shootout with Sparta Prague, while Renārs Krastenbergs celebrated a win with Česke Budejovice. Kristiāns Rubīns and Ralfs Freibergs both featured as Olomouc beat Plzen in overtime.
In Finland's Liiga, Bogdans Hodass' Jukurit beat Oskars Batņa's Pelicans 3:1, while Gustavs Grigals stopped 16 shots as SaiPa earned their third straight win. In Germany's DEL, Kristers Gudļevskis made 26 saves on 27 shots to help Bremerhaven win. In Denmark, Jānis Fecers posted a shutout in a Blue Fox win, Artūrs Kulda scored for Esbjerg, and Filips Buncis was on the losing side with Rungsted.
