Graz99ers vs Slovan Bratislava

Both sides traded blows in an open first period. Nick Swaney opened the scoring in the 4th minute, pouncing early to give Graz a 1–0 lead. But Slovan hit back through Adam Cedzo in the 12th minute, and the teams went to the first intermission deadlocked at 1–1.

The middle period belonged almost entirely to the home side. Josh Currie restored Graz's lead in the 24th minute, and Kevin Conley doubled it with a strike right on the second-period buzzer — scoring at 40:00 to send the sides to the dressing room with the score at 3–1.

Slovan briefly threatened a revival when Ryder Korczak pulled one back in the 44th minute, trimming the deficit to 3–2. But Graz had the immediate answer. Captain Marcus Vela restored the two-goal cushion in the 48th minute, and defenseman Kilian Zündel added a fifth in the 55th minute to seal the win.

Conley's goal at the very end of the second period — 40:00 on the clock — was the decisive blow. Slovan had weathered sustained Graz pressure through much of the middle frame but conceded on the stroke of the break, turning a manageable 2–1 deficit into a 3–1 mountain to climb. When Korczak pulled one back early in the third, any hope of a Slovan fightback lasted just four minutes before Vela struck.

Josh Currie (Graz99ers) — Scored the game-winner at 24' and was a persistent threat alongside Vela and Roy on the top line. His timing stepping into the slot caused Slovan's defence problems throughout.

Marcus Vela (Graz99ers) — The captain's 48th-minute response goal snuffed out any Slovan momentum. His leadership was evident in how quickly Graz regrouped after conceding in the third.

Kilian Zündel (Graz99ers) — The German-born defenseman rounded off the scoring and anchored a blue line that limited Slovan to just two goals despite Bratislava's quality attacking personnel.

Adam Cedzo (Slovan Bratislava) — The lone bright spot for Slovan in the first period, his 12th-minute equaliser showed composure under pressure. Slovan couldn't build on his early contribution.

Player of the Match: Josh Currie — his go-ahead goal and all-around offensive work made the difference.

The period-by-period breakdown (1–1, 2–0, 2–1) tells the real story: the game was genuinely even for the first 20 minutes, but Graz seized control in the middle stanza and never let go. Conceding at 40:00 meant Slovan entered the third period needing two goals to draw level — a steep ask against a Graz side that had won four of their previous five pre-season friendlies. The hosts' ability to reply within four minutes of Slovan's third-period goal underlined a resilience that had been building since their 4–3 victory over Adler Mannheim on 16 August.

The win gave Graz99ers a 1–1 record in the round-robin Energie Steiermark Trophy after they lost 5–1 to HC Sparta Praha on Friday. Slovan finished the tournament 1–1 as well, following a narrow win over Sparta on Saturday with Sunday's defeat. With the CHL opener against Fribourg-Gottéron on 3 September approaching, Graz's firepower (14 goals across their last three friendlies) looks sharp. Slovan turn to friendlies against Kometa Brno on 1 September and Mladá Boleslav on 3 September.

A thoroughly professional pre-season performance from Graz99ers, who didn't panic after Slovan equalised early and pulled away with two periods of controlled hockey. Four different goal-scorers, plus contributions from Vela and Zündel, suggest the reigning ICE Hockey League champions have genuine scoring depth ahead of their Champions Hockey League campaign.