- Räsänen struck twice for Tappara
- Tappara scored four in the middle frame
- Tychy's farewell to the CHL for 2026/27
Despite a spirited start by GKS Tychy, Tappara Tampere's dominant four-goal second period flipped this game on its head as they ultimately ended up skating away with a 6-3 victory over the Polish champs. Tappara took three important points in their race up the Regular Season Standings, while Tychy bid farewell to the Champions Hockey League for the 2026/27 season in front of their home crowd.
Tychy hit the ice with undeniable determination right from the opening puck drop. Szymon Kucharski opened the scoring to put the home side ahead 1-0. The play was set up by Lukáš Kovář, who came busting down the left wing and delivered a centering pass right onto Kucharski for the finish.
Tappara, however, set relentless pace, pushing Tychy's netminder, who stood resilient before Tappara's persistence eventually paid off. Midway through the frame, Niclas Almari sent a decisive shot past Tychy's goaltender to level the score at 1-1. Nevertheless, Tychy regained their advantage just before the intermission. With only 30 seconds remaining, Henri Knuutinen jumped on a loose puck and buried it from point-blank range, restoring Tychy's one goal lead.
The middle frame belonged entirely to Tappara, as the Finnish side came out firing and completely flipped the script. Benjamin Rautiainen capitalized on early momentum to tie the game at 2-2. Shortly after, Vilho Vanhatalo then sniped one home to give Tappara their first lead of the night. But Tappara weren't done yet, striking two more times to build a formidable three-goal lead over Tychy.
Tappara stayed in control heading into the final period. Early in the third, Aapeli Räsänen netted his second of the night, putting the game out of reach with 6-2. However, Tychy didn't fold and managed to cut the deficit to 6-3 through Lauri Sertti, who buried Tychy's farewell goal of their entire CHL campaign.