* Kärpät Oulu arrived in Germany as Finnish Champions and last year's semi-finalists. But 3,602 fans were there to cheer on the black and yellows. That included 300 athletes of various Krefeld teams who were invited to the game. Star player Robin Weihager was missing however with a back injury.
* The Finnish side could count on young goaltender, Sami Aittokallio, who was back in his homeland after spending the last two years in North America. During that time he appeared in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche and the AHL for the Lake Erie Monsters.
* The Penguins survived a few penalty kills and battled hard to keep the game scoreless heading into the first break.
* Despite Karpat taking a 1-0 lead into the final period, it was the hosts who were applying all the pressure. But whatever Krefeld threw at the Finns, the strong Aittokallio always found an answer.
* Despite eventually losing the game 2-0 the fans recognized the outstanding performance of the Penguins with a standing ovation.
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