The sky of the Oulu Kärppie started with a loss in the Spengler Cup played in Davos.
Oulu’s Kärpät lost their hockey Spengler Cup opening game to Fribourg, Switzerland, with 4-6 goals, even though the team from Oulu led the match played in Davos on Friday three times.
The opening goal in Kärppi’s tournament history was scored by a surprise man Saku Mäenalanenwho is on loan from Langnau in the Swiss league. Olympic champion and world champion Mäenalasen has a long history in Kärpi, which he already represented in his junior years.
In addition to Mäenalanen also Reid Gardiner (1+1) and Viljami Juusola took the Kärpä to a run away in the opening set, but each of the leading positions dwindled. Patrik Virta made Kärppie’s 4–5 reduction in the third set. Jacob de la Rose (1+1) and Marcus Sorensen (0+2) were Fribourg’s strongmen.
Kärpät will face Czech Dynamo Pardubice on Saturday. The Spengler Cup, founded in 1923, is one of the traditional events in the hockey world, but Kärpät is now participating for the first time.