Fribourg-Gottéron secured a 3-1 victory against Klagenfurt in the Champions Hockey League on Saturday, using a single power-play sequence to overturn a 1-0 deficit during their European campaign.
The Swiss champions headed to Austria looking to build on an opening 4-2 victory against Graz earlier in the week. Fribourg found themselves trailing when Raphael Herburger, the former Bienne and Lugano forward, opened the scoring for Klagenfurt at the midway point of the match.
The Power-Play Surge That Decided the Match in Klagenfurt
The game turned dramatically during a single minor penalty assessed to the Austrian side. Under Champions Hockey League regulations, a penalized player must remain in the penalty box for the full duration of two minutes even if the opposing team scores. Fribourg capitalized on the rule to dismantle the home defense in just over a minute.
Austro-Suisse forward Jonas Taibel spearheaded the comeback in front of his visiting family, netting his first goals in a Fribourg jersey. The former Rapperswil player struck twice between the 44th and 46th minutes. Sandwiched between Taibel’s goals, Swedish forward Jacob de la Rose found the back of the net to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
The swift sequence sealed the outcome and lifted Fribourg to six points from their first two matches in the European competition. The team returns home to Switzerland with an unblemished record in the tournament’s league phase.
Klagenfurt Faces Early-Season Roster Shocks and Tough Swiss Opponents
Saturday’s defeat added to a challenging start for Klagenfurt in the tournament. The Austrian club opened its seventh Champions Hockey League campaign with a 2-1 overtime victory against Bordeaux, though the performance exposed underlying flaws in the squad.
Goaltender Florian Vorauer acknowledged the difficulties following the Bordeaux fixture, noting that the team needed to elevate its level against top-tier competition. The roster adjustments overseen by Kirk Furey—who signed a three-year contract extension after leading the team to two first places and one second place in the ICE Hockey League regular season—have been tested early by injuries.
Defensive acquisition Mattias Göransson sustained a lower-body injury during the first period against Bordeaux and missed the Fribourg fixture, compounding a longer-term absence for Fabian Hochegger. Despite veteran leadership from captain Thomas Hundertpfund in his 18th season and 38-year-old Slovenian forward Jan Muršak, Klagenfurt struggled to contain Fribourg’s special teams.
European Ambitions and Upcoming Fixtures in Fribourg
Sporting director Gerd Zenhäusern pointed to recent successes by domestic rivals when outlining the team’s goals for the tournament.
We have seen how Geneva and Zurich won the Cup in recent years, and we have the same ambition. Gerd Zenhäusern, sporting director of Gottéron, via latele.ch
Head coach Roger Rönnberg warned prior to the weekend that the Austrian road trip would test his squad, highlighting Klagenfurt’s status as the most titled club in Austrian history alongside Graz’s formidable home record in the venue known locally as the bunker.
With six points secured from their opening two away matches, Fribourg-Gottéron returns to Switzerland to host the Czech team Pilsen on September 11 and Germany’s Mannheim on September 13.
