Ice Hockey Continental Cup: Viru Sputnik Open Kohtla-Järve Tournament With a Defeat
Estonian champions Viru Sputnik lost 2–9 to Hungary's Budapest Jégkorong Akadémia in the opening game of the Continental Cup first-round tournament in Kohtla-Järve. Only the tournament winner will advance to the next round.
The first-round tournament of the Continental Cup, a European ice hockey club competition, began on Friday, 16 October, in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia. The reigning Estonian champions, Viru Sputnik, lost on home ice to the Hungarian club Budapest Jégkorong Akadémia by 2–9 (0–3, 1–4, 1–2). Only the winner of the tournament will move on to the next round, so the defeat makes the hosts' path forward harder.
How the game unfolded
The Hungarian players scored three goals in the first period and four in the second. Viru Sputnik's first-ever goal in the Continental Cup came in the middle of the second period, scored on a power play by Maksim Chaltsev, who is also a member of the Kohtla-Järve city council.
Chaltsev added a second goal early in the third period, but the hosts then conceded twice more.
The other game and what comes next
In the other game of the first round, Corona from Brașov, Romania, beat Croatia's Zagreb 11–3 (5–0, 5–3, 1–0).
On Saturday, 17 October, Viru Sputnik will face Corona, while the Budapest side will play Zagreb. Only the tournament winner will progress to the next round of the Continental Cup.
