Spengler Cup 2025: Underdogs Spark Stunning Overtime Upset

Davos, Switzerland — The Spengler Cup 2025 produced a jaw-dropping moment as the Northwind Falcons, an unseeded lineup from a smaller hockey program, toppled the two-time defending champions Helvetia Hawks in overtime, 3-2, at the vaillant Arena.

The Hawks carried the pace for much of the game, striking first on a clean finish from the right circle midway through the second period. The Falcons answered late in the frame when a redirected shot slipped past Hawks goaltender Flavio Bianchi, sending the teams into a tense third period with the game tied 1-1. A late surge by Helvetia put them back on top when a miniature maze of screens and sticks produced a fortunate deflection that found the net with under five minutes remaining.

With the clock bleeding down, Northwind mounted a gritty push and found relief in the dying seconds of regulation. A sharp-angle wrister from captain Lina Petrov squeezed through traffic at 19:14, knotting the score at 2-2 and forcing overtime before a sold-out crowd.

The deciding moment came 3:12 into overtime, when forward Erik Johansson collected a loose puck at center, accelerated past a sprawled defender, and buried a rising shot top-right past Bianchi. The arena erupted as the underdogs sealed a victory many had not predicted before puck drop.

Northwind’s defense, backed by goalie Maja Holmström’s key saves in the middle period, stifled the Hawks’ push for extra time, flipping the narrative of the day and proving that momentum can shift in a heartbeat. Hawks coach Matteo Riva acknowledged the upset, praising the Falcons’ tenacity and noting that a single game cannot define a season.

With the win, the Falcons advance to the knockout rounds, giving the tournament its freshest storyline: an improbable fairy tale unfolding in Davos as a scrappy underdog group writes its own chapter of the Spengler Cup 2025.

Spengler Cup 2025: Underdogs Spark Stunning Overtime Upset

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