SaiPa Lappeenranta benches Grigals, defeats Czech champions Pardubice
Finnish club SaiPa Lappeenranta beat Czech Extraliga champions Dynamo Pardubice 3:2 in the Champions Hockey League, with Latvian goaltender Gustavs Grigals watching from the bench. Nitra, Skellefteå, Davos and Köln also picked up wins.
In Wednesday's Champions Hockey League action, SaiPa Lappeenranta defeated Czech Extraliga champions Dynamo Pardubice 3:2 at home. Latvian goaltender Gustavs Grigals did not see ice time in this match, with Kari Pironen starting instead and making 38 saves on 40 shots. Grigals had a mixed run in his previous two outings — pulled after conceding five goals in a 1:6 loss, then helping secure a 7:2 win over Herning afterward.
In the second period, Swedish forward Einar Emanuelsson scored twice within half a minute, extending Lappeenranta's lead from 1:0 to 3:0. Czech forward David Tomasek pulled one back in the final second of the period, but despite pressing harder in the third, Pardubice could not find another goal.
Upsets and other results
Slovak side Nitra pulled off a surprise on the road, beating Finnish league runner-up KooKoo Kouvola 4:1 despite being outshot. Michal Kristof scored twice for Nitra.
Skellefteå, the only team with a perfect three-win record in the group stage, edged Geneva-Servette 2:1, with the winning goal coming just 21 seconds before the final buzzer off an assist from defenseman Arvid Lundberg. Switzerland's Davos beat Polish side Tychy 4:2, while Germany's Kölner Haie thrashed reigning Champions Hockey League winners Frölunda Göteborg 5:2 at home. Norway's Storhamar Hamar beat Klagenfurt 2:1.
