Last week in Czechia, hosts Sparta Prague were stunned by the speed and skill of the Aalborg Pirates and lost 3-2 on home ice. In the rematch in Denmark, they left nothing to chance, storming out of the gate to get an early lead and eventually winning 6-2. Michal Řepík and Vladimír Sobotka led the offence with four points each.

Other than revenge, it was a huge win for Sparta, who had lost both of their first two games at home. As a result, Sparta, Aalborg and Jukurit Mikkeli are now in a three-way tie with three points each, while Luleå Hockey comfortably lead Group A with nine. 

Sparta’s aggressive start drew an early penalty and they cashed in, with David Kaše making a nice backhand feed to set up the Řepík one-timer in the slot at 2:30. Three minutes later it was 2-0, with Jakub Konečný putting the finishing touch on a feed from Řepík on a 2-on-1 rush.

After killing off a penalty, Sparta scored on their second opportunity late in the opening period. This time it was Roman Horák from behind the net, feeding out front to Řepík, with the Sparta captain burying his second powerplay goal and fourth goal in four periods against Aalborg.

With a comfortable lead for Sparta, the pace slowed down somewhat in the second period and the teams traded goals. Miroslav Forman capitalized on a miscue by an Aalborg defenceman and scored on a breakaway to make it 4-0, and then Trevor Gooch finally got Aalborg on the board, converting a nice centering feed from Patrick Bjorkstrand.

Sobotka restored Sparta’s four-goal lead in the first minute of the third period and Aalborg captain Julian Jakobsen returned the favour with a powerplay goal a few minutes later, but in reality, Sparta’s quick start to this game had them in control the rest of the way. Horák's first goal and third point of the game with 1:49 to go only reaffirmed the outcome.