Champions Hockey League Regular Season Finished; Playoff Matchups Known

The Champions Hockey League’s regular season is now finished, with six playoff spots being decided on the final day. Oceláři Třinec, the Lahti Pelicans, Eisbären Berlin and the Sheffield Steelers all advanced with wins, Tappara Tampere backed in despite a loss and luck was on the side of the idle Straubing Tigers.

Scroll down to see the matchups in the round of 16, which will take place in November.

Oceláři Třinec (CZE) 7 – Unia Oświęcim (POL) 3

With a win, Oświęcim would have been the first Polish team to qualify for the CHL’s round of 16, but they ran into a desperate Třinec squad that needed the game just as badly. Třinec scored twice in the first two minutes, was up 4-0 after 10 and cruised from there. Slovak Libor Hudáček had four points for Třinec; Swede Daniel Olsson Trkulja had three for Oświęcim.

Tappara Tampere (FIN) 0 – Lausanne HC (SUI) 2

Tappara needed points but ran into a stifling Lausanne team that limited them to 15 shots. Antoine Keller got the shutout for Lausanne, and Finn Janne Kuokkanen was the only Lausanne player to beat Juha Metsola on a power play early in the third period. At game’s end, it looked like Tappara was done, but a couple of favorable results elsewhere means the 2023 European champion qualifies as the 16^th seed.

Lahti Pelicans (FIN) 10 – Rouen Dragons (FRA) 1

The Pelicans needed a win to advance and took no prisoners against the already-eliminated Dragons. Lahti went 5-for-10 on the power play and scored three goals in the first period and three more in the second to put the game on ice. Wyatt Kalynuk recorded five points and Antti Tyrväinen had four.

Eisbären Berlin (GER) 8 – SønderjyskE Vojens (DEN) 0

Needing a win to advance, Berlin put this game away with four goals in the second half of the first period. Leonard Pföderl led the offense with four points and Jonas Stettmer made 22 saves for the shutout.

Sheffield Steelers (GBR) 3 – Dynamo Pardubice (CZE) 2 [SO]

Needing points to advance, Pardubice threw everything at Sheffield but Matthew Greenfield stopped 44 of 46 shots in 65 minutes of hockey. Back on their heels at various parts of the game, the Steelers went into attack mode at the end and pulled out a shootout victory to send them on to the playoffs. Mitchell Balmas scored once in regulation and the shootout winner for Sheffield.

KAC Klagenfurt (AUT) 1 – ZSC Lions Zurich (SUI) 5

Klagenfurt had an outside shot at a playoff spot but needed this game in regulation time. The Lions, who finish as the second seed overall, made short work of those plans by building up a 4-0 lead by the game’s midpoint. Derek Grant and Jesper Frödén recorded three points each.

Final regular-season standings:

x-1. Färjestad Karlstad (SWE) – 17 points, +16
x-2. ZSC Lions Zurich (SUI) – 14 points, +10
x-3. Lausanne HC (SUI) – 14 points, +8
x-4. Oceláři Třinec (CZE) – 12 points, +8
x-5. Fribourg-Gottéron (SUI) – 12 points, +8
x-6. Skellefteå AIK (SWE) – 12 points, +4
x-7. Eisbären Berlin (GER) – 11 points, +7
x-8. Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) – 11 points, +7
x9. Lahti Pelicans (FIN) – 11 points, +6
x-10. Sheffield Steelers (GBR) – 11 points, +5
x-11. Pinguins Bremerhaven (GER) – 10 points, +4
x-12. Växjö Lakers (SWE) – 10 points, +1
x-13. Sparta Prague (CZE) – 10 points, -2
x-14. Genève-Servette (SUI) – 10 points, +2
x-15. Straubing Tigers (GER) – 9 points, 0
x-16. Tappara Tampere (FIN) – 8 points, +4

17. Dynamo Pardubice (CZE) – 8 points, +7
18. Unia Oświęcim (POL) – 8 points, -5
19. Ilves Tampere (FIN) – 7 points, -4
20. KAC Klagenfurt (AUT) – 5 points, -10
21. Storhamar Dragons (NOR) – 5 points, -7
22. Rouen Dragons (FRA) – 1 point, -21
23. Fehérvár AV19 (HUN) – 0 points, -19
24. SønderjyskE Vojens (DEN) – 0 points, -27

Round-of-16 matchups:

(1) Färjestad Karlstad vs (16) Tappara Tampere
(2) ZSC Lions Zurich vs (15) Straubing Tigers
(3) Lausanne HC vs (14) Genève-Servette
(4) Oceláři Třinec vs (13) Sparta Prague
(5) Fribourg-Gottéron vs (12) Växjö Lakers
(6) Skellefteå AIK vs (11) Pinguins Bremerhaven
(7) Eisbären Berlin vs (10) Sheffield Steelers
(8) Red Bull Salzburg vs (9) Lahti Pelicans

Of note are an apparent heavyweight clash between top-seeded Färjestad and Tappara, the three-time reigning Finnish champion, a couple of intra-league matchups in Lausanne vs Genève and Třinec vs Sparta, and Eisbären Berlin’s Liam Kirk playing against his hometown (and former) team the Sheffield Steelers.

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