Belfast Giants return to Champions Hockey League action on Saturday night, welcoming Finnish side Ilves Tampere to the SSE Arena for their second home fixture of the campaign.
Just 48 hours earlier, the Giants came agonisingly close to victory against KalPa Kuopio, leading until the final minute before falling 3-2 in overtime. Patrick Grasso and Ryan Smith were on target for Belfast, with Smith’s strike coming on a powerplay as the hosts went 1-for-4 with the man advantage.
Ilves began their CHL journey with a 3-1 road win over ERC Ingolstadt in Germany. A blistering start saw them 2-0 up inside eight minutes, with Jens Lööke and Matias Mäntykivi each collecting two points. Veteran forward Carl Klingberg, who brings significant CHL experience from his time with EV Zug, also struck on the powerplay.
Photo: William Cherry/Presseye
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