The second day of the Continental Cup’s group C in Jelgava brought us two close games in terms of the scores, with Brasov’s & Zemgale’s wins separating them from the other teams by no more than 2 goals.
Celje wakes up late, not enough to defeat Corona Brasov
Corona Brasov came out ready to play in the first game of the day, putting up 14 shots to Celje’s 3 in the opening period. Despite that, Celje was the first team to score in the game, with Nik Sirovnik opening up the scoring just over 12 minutes into the period. Four minutes later, Richard Rokaly would score to tie the game 1-1, and Jared Van Wormer would put Brasov in the lead before the end of the period.
The second period would continue in much the same way, with Brasov putting up 23 shots while Celje shot at the net 13 times. Sebastian Piche doubled Brasov’s lead just over a minute into the period, while Connor Sills made it 3 in the 37th minute on the penalty kill. Luka Kalan scored on the same powerplay to cut Brasov’s lead to 2, but there were no further goals scored.
Brasov’s goalie Patrik Zolc stopped every shot in the third period, which was the only one in which his team was outshot, 3-14. The final score would remain the same.
FINAL SCORE:
Corona Brasov 4
HK Celje 2
Zemgale’s scoring struggles, but pulls through in the end
The frustration of outshooting your opponents by almost 4 times, yet being unable to score can occasionally overwhelm entire teams. Zemgale’s captain Gatis Gricinskis stepped up just when his team most needed him!
It took just over 26 minutes before the first goal of the game was scored, with Kevins Stradnieks, assisted by Patriks Seilis and Renars Alksnis, putting Zemgale in the lead, 1-0. The lead would not last for long, however, with a scruffy shot from Yoren De Smet beating Cimermanis and tying the game, 1-1.
Frustration would loom over Zemgale’s players, as they were unable to capitalize on many quality opportunities, and the second period would end with both teams tied 1-1.
In the third period, with just 5 minutes left in the game, Patriks Seilis was thought to have scored the game-winning goal from the blue line! The goal ended up being retracted, as Zemgale’s captain Gatis Gricinskis caused goalie interference, 1-1.
The very same Gricinskis would score just 2 minutes later, putting the puck in the back of the net after a great pass by Martins Karsums. No further goals were scored. Zemgale’s win puts them in a great position ahead of the final day, requiring just 1 point against Celje to qualify for the next round. For the Liege Bulldogs, they are the first team from the group to have lost even theoretical chances of qualifying for the third round.
FINAL SCORE:
Zemgale 2
Liege Bulldogs 1
| Rank | Name | GP | W | OTW | GF:GA | Points |
| 1 | Zemgale | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5:2 | 6 |
| 2 | Corona Brasov | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5:5 | 3 |
| 3 | Celje | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11:7 | 3 |
| 4 | Liege Bulldogs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4:11 | 0 |
The final games of the round will be played on 15th October
Corona Brasov will face off against the Liege Bulldogs @ 15:00
Zemgale will play against Celje @ 19:00
Latvian Puck Paradise 
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