Skellefteå AIK secured a 3-2 victory over Servette in the Continental Cup of Champions on Wednesday evening. The Swedish side took advantage of home ice to claim all three points in their opening fixture of the tournament. Both teams entered the match with perfect records from their previous two games.
The result leaves Skellefteå AIK top of the table on three points from two matches. Servette remain in third position, also with three points from two games. The gap between first and third is minimal at this stage of the competition.
Skellefteå AIK arrived in confident form, having won their previous two matches 3-1 against Adler Mannheim and 6-1 against Nitra. Servette carried similar momentum, with victories over Sturhamar and Eisbären Berlin in their last outings. Both sides had shown attacking intent in those fixtures.
We had backed an away win for Servette with 82 per cent confidence before kick-off. The prediction failed because Skellefteå's home advantage proved decisive. The Swedish side found an answer when pressed and controlled the tempo in the final period.
The victory puts Skellefteå AIK in a strong position heading into their next fixture. Servette will need to respond if they want to close the gap on the leaders. Cup football has its own rules, but momentum matters just as much.