Scoring went back-and-forth all night, but it was Skellefteå AIK who held on to take a 5-4 victory over ZSC Lions Zurich. Joakim Lindström scored the game-winner and Linus Söderström made 25 saves in his debut as the Swedes will carry a one-goal aggregate lead into their Return Game in Switzerland next week.

Zurich had plenty of chances in the opening minutes of the match and finally managed to find the back of the net on a shorthanded goal by Reto Schappi. The Swiss skater hustled down the near side before sliding it five-hole to open up the scoring at 5:49.

Skellefteå then answered with two powerplay tallies six minutes apart. The first came 24 seconds after Schnappi's marker when Lindström cashed in on a wicked wrister from the slot. The Swedes tacked on another and took the lead as Jonathan Pudas found Filip Sandberg who skated through the crease and guided the puck around Šimon Hrubec's pads for his fourth of the year.

Two minutes later, with Zurich on the powerplay, Sven Andrighetto let fly an initial shot as Denis Hollenstein whacked at the rebound which eventually found the stick of Willi Riedi who backhanded it into the open cage.

Special teams continued to be the story of the game as the Swiss would take their second lead of the night on Alexandre Texier's shorthanded breakaway bid that made it 3-2.

Moments later, the hosts tied it up on the first even-strength goal of the night. Sandberg secured his second of the night off a brilliant feed from Lindström who garnered his second point of the contest. But an Oskar Nilsson high sticking call sent Zurich on their fourth powerplay where the Swiss converted for their fourth marker as Hollenstein deposited the puck in close off a rebound.

Down by one to start the third, Skellefteå found themselves on the powerplay where Pär Lindholm notched his first of the tournament to knot the score at 4-4. Four minutes later, Lindström potted his second when the puck trickled past Hrubec, giving the Swedes a one-goal lead.

The Swiss pressed hard for the equaliser in the final minutes, but Söderström was able to fend off a bevy of grade-A chances, most notably one in the final second of the game awarding him our Play of the Night award, to maintain his team's lead and skate away with the one-goal advantage heading into next week.