For the second straight game, Comarch Cracovia gave one of Group G’s top teams a tough game on home ice, and once again lost by one goal. Brynäs IF are off to the Round of 16 after winning 3-2 in Krakow, but it sure wasn’t easy.

As they did against Munich, Cracovia employed a defensive strategy, allowing only 5 shots in the first period and keeping the game scoreless through the midpoint of the second period. Things opened up big time in the last half of the middle frame, however, when all five of the game’s goals were scored.

Brynäs thought they’d opened the scoring when the puck was poked into the net from a scramble in front, but the referee had blown the whistle a split second before after Rafał Radziszewski had been bumped, signalling a crease infraction. Less than a minute later, Tomáš Sykora made a brilliant move to elude a Brynäs defenceman, then cut inside and went top shelf on David Rautio to give Cracovia the improbable one-goal lead. Brynäs responded less than two minutes later on the power play with a brilliant individual effort of their own, this one Linus Ölund with some fancy stickwork in front before going upstairs.

Samuel Asklöf gave Brynäs their first lead of the game with 2:22 to go in the second period, but there were still two goals in the last 30 seconds of the period. Sykora’s second of the game tied it for Cracovia, but they went right to the power play after that and Kevin Clark put in a puck that rebounded of the end boards with 11 seconds on the clock.

Now trailing, Cracovia needed to open the game up in the third period but they just weren’t able to generate any offence, despite a couple of power plays. Nonetheless, their home fans were once again proud of the effort.