Credit: Liam McEvoy

Luxembourg ice hockey team, the Beaufort Knights, won their home game against Belgian opponents Kortrijk Spurs 7-5 on Saturday.

On Saturday evening, the Beaufort Knights won a back-and-forth battle against third-placed Kortrijk Spurs 7-5 to take back control of their playoff chances in the Royal Belgian Ice Hockey Federation (RBIHF) Division 1. In the away meeting, the Beaufort Knights had lost 2-4 to Kortrijk.

The first period got off to a challenging start with Kortrijk gaining early possession. Nevertheless, it would be the Knights who would score first when Ben Houdremont was awarded a penalty shot. The lead lasted less than two minutes before Kortrijk's Arthur Devos fired a long-range shot past Michel Welter whose vision was blocked by his own defenceman. This evenly contested period ended 1-1.

The second period played out much the same as the first. Every time the Knights took the advantage, Kortrijk responded in kind. The latter managed to tie the game at 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4. That was until only three seconds after the Spurs’ fourth goal when the Knights' Sacha Backes used his speed to cause chaos at the face-off, slamming home the 5-4 goal after a scramble in front of the Kortrijk net. As the second period came to an end, spectators could experience some new entertainment in the form of on-ice, inflatable musical chairs.

In the 46th minute of the game, Mirko Mosr joined forces with Benny Welter and Sacha Backes to finally give the Knights a 2-goal cushion with a breakaway goal. However, Beaufort fans could breathe easy for only three minutes as the Spurs once again cut the deficit to a single goal thanks to Amine Van De Putte. With the clock ticking down, the score was Beaufort 6-5 Kortrijk; tensions were rising and the Spurs forced Knights’ goalie Michel Welter into a string of saves. Beaufort had to avoid conceding the tying goal. Had the game gone to overtime they would have lost at least one point in the standings. With three minutes left in the game, Mirko Mosr once again muscled past a defenceman and scored to spark celebrations around the Beaufort Ice Park. As the final buzzer sounded, the Knights were 7-5 winners of a game that could have easily gone either way.

The win puts the Knights back in control of their playoff destiny as victory in regulation time in their three remaining fixtures will guarantee a third place finish and a spot in the semi-final round. Indeed, the Knights have already defeated each of the three remaining opponents away from home this season. On Saturday 29 February 2020 at 19:30, the Knights will welcome last season’s defending champions Leuven Chiefs to Luxembourg as the playoff hunt continues. Saturday’s game will also feature a special charity event. Fans are asked to bring stuffed toys and teddy bears to the game and, if Beaufort score their first goal, the audience will throw their toys onto the ice to be collected and donated to Fondation Sarah Grond, a foundation created by Luxembourg Puckers Player-Coach Yves Barthels to support families affected by parental death.

This latest win follows last week's 11-0 victory for the Knights over league leaders Olympia Heist.