Pinguins Bremerhaven welcomed Skellefteå AIK to the Eisarena Bremerhaven to open their Playoffs campaign of the 2024/25 Champions Hockey League Season. Both teams impressed in the Regular Season, but Bremerhaven truly shined tonight. After an intense match-up, the Germans emerged as the clear winner, leaving Skellefteå with deep wounds and in need of a strong comeback next week.

The first period was extremely one-sided, with Bremerhaven delivering a lesson in efficiency. The home team netted four goals, starting with Markus Vikingstad at 6:06, followed by Slovenian teammates Žiga Jeglič and Jan Urbas on the powerplay at 10:55 and 12:10, and finished off by Ross Mauermann at 14:27.

By the end of the second period, the score remained unchanged, with Bremerhaven forced into a defensive stance and successfully keeping Skellefteå off the scoreboard. Much of the credit went to Bremerhaven’s netminder, Maximilian Franzreb, who held strong and maintained the shutout. Heading into the final period, Bremerhaven led 4-0.

In the third period, Bremerhaven added one more goal. Nino Kinder found himself on a shorthanded breakaway and sent the puck into the net, extending the lead to 5-0. Skellefteå continued to press and even earned a penalty shot, but Franzreb blocked it once again, denying them a goal.

As the final buzzer sounded, Bremerhaven celebrated a dominant 5-0 victory, putting them in an excellent position for the Return Game of their Round of 16 match-up next week.