Two national champions faced off in their first CHL encounter of the season. The ZSC Lions Zurich proved to be the stronger team, claiming victory by outscoring home side Storhamar Hamar 4-1. The visitors never even gave Storhamar a glimpse of what it’s like to lead on the scoreboard.

The first period saw respectable performances from both teams, but it was only the Swiss visitors who managed to make an appearance on the scoreboard just over two minutes into the game. Nicolas Baechler tapped in a loose puck following a rebound. Despite multiple shot attempts, including a breakaway, Storhamar came away only with penalties; a tripping call at 6:21 and a slashing penalty at 15:46. After a hard-fought 20 minutes, Zurich held a 1-0 lead.

The second period began rather uneventfully, but things changed in the seventh minute when Storhamar’s Jacob Berglund found the back of the net to tie the game 1-1. The goal wasn’t pretty and looked to be offside leading to a raised eyebrow from the referees, but a video review was inconclusive meaning the on-ice decision stood.

At 31:42, Zurich picked up their first unnecessary penalty for too many men on the ice. However, the tie and disadvantaged play didn’t last long, as Zurich’s forward Denis Malgin scored a short-handed goal, restoring the Swiss lead and ending the penalty early.

The remainder of the game was played mostly in Storhamar’s territory. This paid off for the Swiss, as they extended their lead to 3-1 at 46:28. Joel Henry intercepted a failed pass, took a shot, and assisted Chris Baltisberger who capitalised on the rebound.

Zurich dominated the rest of the game, adding an empty-net goal to seal the victory and comfortably securing their first three points of the season.