Overview
- Kölner Haie defeated EC Red Bull Salzburg 5-2 in the Champions Hockey League season opener in Salzburg on Thursday, Sept. 3, securing a winning start to their ligaphase campaign.
- Goals for Köln came from Patrick Russell, Marcel Noebels (two), Gregor MacLeod and Louis-Marc Aubry, while Salzburg’s scorers were Peter Schneider and Mario Huber.
- The match was intensely physical and produced several heavy checks and fights, and Köln’s forwards Dominik Bokk and Maximilian Kammerer left after treatment following hard hits and did not return to the game.
- An early Salzburg penalty turned decisive because CHL rules keep the short-handed team down for the full penalty time after a conceded goal, enabling Köln to score twice within 29 seconds and open a 2-0 lead.
- Köln travels to Tappara Tampere on Saturday and must manage potential roster gaps from injuries as it seeks points in the CHL ligaphase, a 24-team stage that uses a table to qualify 16 clubs for the knock-out rounds.