The Bolzano players celebrate with their fans after advancing to the CHL playoffs.
photo: HC Bolzano / Champions Hockey League
The just-completed Champions Hockey League group stage reduced the field of 32 teams to 16, with more countries than ever before still in contention for the European club championship.
The 16 remaining teams represent eight leagues and nine countries, with France and Italy being represented for the first time at this stage of the tournament. There are also a record number of four teams from Switzerland as well as three teams from Sweden, two each from Finland and the Czech Republic, and one each from Germany, Austria and Norway.
The French champion Rouen Dragons are probably the most unlikely story to advance this far. They were pegged as the fourth team in a group that included Finnish champion Karpat Oulu, Mountfield Hradec Kralove of the Czech Republic and the Nuremberg Ice Tigers from Germany. It was no surprise when they lost their first three games, and the team and its fans seemed ecstatic to beat Hradec Kralove 2-0 behind a 34-save shutout by Slovenian goalie Matija Pintaric. They followed that up with a 4-2 home win over Nuremberg and finally, in a game where they needed a regulation win to advance, won 5-2 in Nuremberg thanks to four points from Nicolas Deschamps and 51 saves by Pintaric.
The 16 remaining teams represent eight leagues and nine countries, with France and Italy being represented for the first time at this stage of the tournament. There are also a record number of four teams from Switzerland as well as three teams from Sweden, two each from Finland and the Czech Republic, and one each from Germany, Austria and Norway.
The French champion Rouen Dragons are probably the most unlikely story to advance this far. They were pegged as the fourth team in a group that included Finnish champion Karpat Oulu, Mountfield Hradec Kralove of the Czech Republic and the Nuremberg Ice Tigers from Germany. It was no surprise when they lost their first three games, and the team and its fans seemed ecstatic to beat Hradec Kralove 2-0 behind a 34-save shutout by Slovenian goalie Matija Pintaric. They followed that up with a 4-2 home win over Nuremberg and finally, in a game where they needed a regulation win to advance, won 5-2 in Nuremberg thanks to four points from Nicolas Deschamps and 51 saves by Pintaric.
Losing the first three games and having to win out – not losing a single point – we knew it was going to be hard. Being the underdog every game is tough but we showed so much heart, so much character, to claw our way back and never give up. Yeah, it’s an incredible feeling.
Almost as unlikely was Norwegian champion Storhamar from the city of Hamar advancing from a group that included Tappara Tampere of Finland, Djurgarden Stockholm of Sweden and Ocelari Trinec of the Czech Republic. Fourth in their group after four games, they needed to win both of their last two games against Trinec and have Djurgarden lose twice to Tappara, and they got it.
Storhamar is no stranger to causing upsets on the European scene, however, as the team also had an unlikely run to the CHL Round of 16 three years ago. Storhamar’s big hammer is ex-NHLer and KHLer Patrick Thoresen, who had six goals and two assists in six group-stage games.
“I am proud, I am happy, I am satisfied that in the CHL we did it,” said Storhamar coach Fredrik Soderstrom. “It was a very important victory (last week) in Trinec, and today we didn’t have our whole destiny in our hands, but we got reports that Tappara’s lead was pretty stable and that we should take care of our job and that’s what we did.”
Italian club HC Bolzano qualified for the CHL as the champion of the Austrian-based EBEL, and behind the goaltending of ex-Calgary Flame Leyland Irving started strong by taking seven of nine points against Sweden’s Skelleftea AIK and Finland’s IFK Helsinki in their first three games. Their spot in the next round seemed nearly assured when they needed only one win against winless GKS Tychy of Poland, but then lost 5-3 in Tychy for the first-ever CHL win by a Polish club. Back at home, Bolzano built up a big lead and let it evaporate, before finally pulling away and winning 6-4.
“I am proud, I am happy, I am satisfied that in the CHL we did it,” said Storhamar coach Fredrik Soderstrom. “It was a very important victory (last week) in Trinec, and today we didn’t have our whole destiny in our hands, but we got reports that Tappara’s lead was pretty stable and that we should take care of our job and that’s what we did.”
Italian club HC Bolzano qualified for the CHL as the champion of the Austrian-based EBEL, and behind the goaltending of ex-Calgary Flame Leyland Irving started strong by taking seven of nine points against Sweden’s Skelleftea AIK and Finland’s IFK Helsinki in their first three games. Their spot in the next round seemed nearly assured when they needed only one win against winless GKS Tychy of Poland, but then lost 5-3 in Tychy for the first-ever CHL win by a Polish club. Back at home, Bolzano built up a big lead and let it evaporate, before finally pulling away and winning 6-4.
It was a big win for us, and to make it to the top 16.
“At 4-0 up, we thought it was won, but Tychy was a very tough opponent. It would be fun to play against a Finnish team in the next round,” the Finnish centre added.
In an interesting twist, both of last year’s CHL finalists were ousted in the group stage. The Swedish champion Vaxjo Lakers, who lost 2-0 on home ice in the CHL last February, finished third in Group G behind Red Bull Salzburg of Austria and SC Bern of Switzerland, and reigning champion JYP Jyvaskyla from Finland was third in Group H behind HC Pilsen of the Czech Republic and HC Lugano of Switzerland.
Going into their last two games, both against Lugano, JYP needed just two points out of a possible six to advance, but didn’t even manage to score a goal over 120 minutes. They lost 2-0 in Lugano and 1-0 back home in Jyvaskyla, with Latvian national team goaltender Elvis Merzlikins stopping all 55 JYP shots he faced in both games. The decisive last game was scoreless until Canadian Olympian and ex-NHLer Maxim Lapierre scored the game’s only goal with 4:39 to play to help Lugano move on.
In an interesting twist, both of last year’s CHL finalists were ousted in the group stage. The Swedish champion Vaxjo Lakers, who lost 2-0 on home ice in the CHL last February, finished third in Group G behind Red Bull Salzburg of Austria and SC Bern of Switzerland, and reigning champion JYP Jyvaskyla from Finland was third in Group H behind HC Pilsen of the Czech Republic and HC Lugano of Switzerland.
Going into their last two games, both against Lugano, JYP needed just two points out of a possible six to advance, but didn’t even manage to score a goal over 120 minutes. They lost 2-0 in Lugano and 1-0 back home in Jyvaskyla, with Latvian national team goaltender Elvis Merzlikins stopping all 55 JYP shots he faced in both games. The decisive last game was scoreless until Canadian Olympian and ex-NHLer Maxim Lapierre scored the game’s only goal with 4:39 to play to help Lugano move on.
“I thought our goaltender, obviously, was the big difference tonight,” Lugano coach Greg Ireland said of Merzlikins’ performance in Jyvaskyla. “This was a challenge for our team. It was our first ‘playoff’ game of the year – win or go home – and we found a way to dig in tonight and win the game 1-0, and that’s a big step for our guys.”
The leading scorer after the CHL group stage is the relatively unheralded David Stach of Pilsen, with 11 points. Pilsen is the only team still unbeaten in the CHL, winning their first five games in regulation time before Slovak champion HC05 Banska Bystrica took them to overtime in the last game, but that was after they had already clinched top spot in the group.
The eight group winners are Frolunda Gothenburg (SWE), the Malmo Redhawks (SWE), Skelleftea AIK (SWE), EV Zug (SUI), Tappara Tampere (FIN), Karpat Oulu (FIN), Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) and Pilsen (CZE). The eight group runners-up are ZSC Lions Zurich (SUI), Red Bull Munich (GER), Bolzano (ITA), Kometa Brno (CZE), Storhamar (NOR), Rouen Dragons (FRA), SC Bern (SUI) and HC Lugano (SUI).
The leading scorer after the CHL group stage is the relatively unheralded David Stach of Pilsen, with 11 points. Pilsen is the only team still unbeaten in the CHL, winning their first five games in regulation time before Slovak champion HC05 Banska Bystrica took them to overtime in the last game, but that was after they had already clinched top spot in the group.
The eight group winners are Frolunda Gothenburg (SWE), the Malmo Redhawks (SWE), Skelleftea AIK (SWE), EV Zug (SUI), Tappara Tampere (FIN), Karpat Oulu (FIN), Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) and Pilsen (CZE). The eight group runners-up are ZSC Lions Zurich (SUI), Red Bull Munich (GER), Bolzano (ITA), Kometa Brno (CZE), Storhamar (NOR), Rouen Dragons (FRA), SC Bern (SUI) and HC Lugano (SUI).
The Swiss teams have been most successful in collecting points during the preliminary round followed by teams from the Swedish Hockey League, the Austrian-based EBEL and Finland’s Liiga.
The group winners and runners-up will be paired up against each other in the CHL playoff draw, which takes place on Friday at 13:00 local time in Helsinki (12:00 Central Europe Time). It will be streamed live on www.championshockeyleague.com and the league’s Facebook page. A team can’t be drawn against the other team that advanced from its group, but it can be drawn against another team from its domestic league. From Friday’s draw, an entire playoff bracket will be formed, so no further draw will be necessary.
The round of 16 takes place in November (6 & 20-21), the quarter-finals in December (4 & 11) and then the semi-finals in January (9 & 16). All three of those rounds will be two games each, home and away, with the winner on aggregate score advancing. The one-game final is scheduled for Tuesday, 5 February 2019, with home-ice advantage for the finalist with the better record.
The group winners and runners-up will be paired up against each other in the CHL playoff draw, which takes place on Friday at 13:00 local time in Helsinki (12:00 Central Europe Time). It will be streamed live on www.championshockeyleague.com and the league’s Facebook page. A team can’t be drawn against the other team that advanced from its group, but it can be drawn against another team from its domestic league. From Friday’s draw, an entire playoff bracket will be formed, so no further draw will be necessary.
The round of 16 takes place in November (6 & 20-21), the quarter-finals in December (4 & 11) and then the semi-finals in January (9 & 16). All three of those rounds will be two games each, home and away, with the winner on aggregate score advancing. The one-game final is scheduled for Tuesday, 5 February 2019, with home-ice advantage for the finalist with the better record.