Men's Ice Hockey IIHF European Champions Hockey League 2018 - 2019

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Semi-Final Preview: Red Bull Derby

 

The first ever 'Red Bull Derby' in the Champions Hockey league could not come at a more crucial time for the sides from Munich and Salzburg. 

 

Both made it through to the Quarter-Finals as milestones not only for themselves, but also their leagues, and then bettered the feat by making it to the Semi-Final stage.

 

As the crow flies these teams are separated by only 115 kilometres, making the travelling distance one of the shortest in the CHL.

 

Indeed, both teams travel further distances in their own league.

 

Red Bull Munich, the lower seeds in this matchup, qualified as runners up from their Group behind Malmö, losing to the Redhawks on Game Day 6 to finish below the Swedes.

Their path in the playoffs saw them overturn a one-goal home deficit against EV Zug by winning 2-0 in Switzerland, and then getting revenge on the Redhawks with an overtime winner after the 120 minute series ended tied at six each.

MVP nomination Trevor Parks' hat-trick in the return game ultimately saw his team through.

What Munich have had in the CHL so far this season is solid goaltending: Olympic silver medalist Danny aus den Birken has stopped 92.09% of shots faced in just under 500 minutes so far, and posted two shutouts.

With him in net, Munich have won five of eight games.

 

Red Bull Salzburg qualified as group winners thanks to a Game Day six victory over SC Bern.

Many would say they drew arguably the weakest team in the Round of 16 in Rouen, however the French side arrived in Salzburg after the first leg tied at three, and pushed their Austrian hosts for the best part of three periods in the reverse matchup as well.

If Salzburg got a favourable draw in the Round of 16, their Quarter-Final opponents were anything but! Defending Finnish champions, former CHL finalists and current Liiga leaders Kärpät Oulu were tipped by many to go far in this season's competition but were ultimately undone by John Hughes' winner with 23 seconds left in the first leg - a goal possibly now more famous for the celebration than the excellent move made to score it.

With a one-goal lead Salzburg headed to Oulu and went two up on aggregate before Kärpät levelled the game on the night, and then proceeded to shut out the Finns for over 38 minutes to hold on to a 4-3 aggregate win.

MVP nominee Stephen Michalek leads the CHL with 92.69% of shots faced saved, while outfield the team has five players with seven or more points.

 

While it's also a Red Bull derby, this series pits two nations with great sporting competition against each other.

 

After their Olympic success, Germany and the DEL would perhaps have expected, and certainly had previously hoped, to get a team much further in the CHL than in previous years.

 

For Austria and the EBEL to be two games away from a CHL Final is remarkable.

 

Austrian teams have stopped German opponents at crucial moments before - the 2014 Winter Olympic qualifiers one of the more recent memories.

 

Before that game Eisbären Berlin's Constantin Braun was asked why Germany often struggles against Austria. "Because it's Austria" he answered simply.

 

One set of Red Bulls will be hoping for a repeat of that, the others no doubt trying to block it out.

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Semifinals

 

1st Leg

Tuesday 08.01.2019 - Results

 

18:00  Frolunda Indians (SWE) - HC Pilsen (CZE)   6-3

19:30  Red Bull Munich (GER) - Red Bull Salzburg (AUT)   0-0 

 

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Semifinals

 

2nd Leg

Tuesday 15.01.2019 - Schedule

 

17:30  HC Pilsen (CZE) - Frolunda Indians (SWE)

first leg: Frolunda - Pilsen 6-3

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Semifinals

 

2nd Leg

Tuesday 15.01.2019 - Results

 

17:30  HC Pilsen (CZE) - Frolunda Indians (SWE)   1-3

Aggregate: Pilsen - Frolunda  4-9  Qualified: Frolunda

 

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Semifinals

 

2nd Leg

Wednesday 16.01.2019 - Schedule

 

20:20  Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) - Red Bull Munich (GER)

first leg: Munich - Salzburg  0-0

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1 ora fa, hckosice ha scritto:

Semifinals

 

2nd Leg

Tuesday 15.01.2019 - Results

 

17:30  HC Pilsen (CZE) - Frolunda Indians (SWE)   1-3

Aggregate: Pilsen - Frolunda  4-9  Qualified: Frolunda

 

 

quite disappointing semifinal...the qualification was never in doubt for almost the entire 120 mins...

Ryan Lasch really destroyed Pilsen in the double match-up...

[hckošice 14,825]

Semifinals

 

2nd Leg

Wednesday 16.01.2019 - Results

 

20:20  Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) - Red Bull Munich (GER)   1-3

Aggregate: Salzburg - Munich  1-3  Qualified: Munich

 

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Confirmed: 2019 Final in Gothenburg's Scandinavium

 

The 2019 Champions Hockey league Final will be played on 5 February at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg.

 

Frölunda Indians won the right to host the CHL showpiece event by having the best record in the competition overall from Group Stage all the way through to making the final.

 

They hosted the final in 2017 at Frölundaborg. 

 

With just over 12,000 seats, the Scandinavium will be the biggest venue to host a Champions Hockey League Final.

 

Red Bull Munich are the second non-Nordic team to qualify for the Champions Hockey League Final, after Czech powerhouse Sparta Prague wrote history by reaching the same milestone two years ago. 

 

The German champions defeated Red Bull Salzburg 3-1 on aggregate in the Semi-Finals, while Frölunda secured their spot in the Final by beating HC Pilsen 9-3 overall.

 

Ticket details and face-off time will be published in course.

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One week to go!

 

Game Time and Game Officials for the Final decided

 

After being confirmed that the 2018/2019 CHL Final will take place on Tuesday, February 5th in Gothemburg, it's also been announced that the game would start @ 7 p.m. local (CET) time.

 

Also the Officials designated for the 2018/2019 CHL Final match have been announced.

 

Top game officials from Switzerland and Finland will take charge of this season's Champions Hockey League Final, including the two referees who both have previous CHL Final experience.

 

Head Referee for the Final on 5 February in Gothenburg will be Marc Lemelin.

A native of Albuquerque, USA, Lemelin joined Switzerland’s National League in the 2018/19 season, after officiating over 50 games in the NHL.

It is the second consecutive CHL Final for Lemelin, who has refereed in the EBEL and DEL in past seasons.

He was also selected for the Gold Medal Game at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyongchang and worked several games at the IIHF World Championships.

 

Joining Lemelin with the armbands will be Liiga referee Mikko Kaukokari who was previously assigned to the CHL Final 2017 in Gothenburg.

The Finnish official has experience of more than 460 games in his own country, and has been selected for two World Junior Championships Finals.

 

Running the lines will be Hannu Sormunen (FIN) and Bryce Kovacs (SUI).

 

"These game officials are all top-ranked in their domestic leagues," CHL Senior Sport Advisor Bo Lennartsson said. “They stood out with great performances in the Champions Hockey League and, as currently part of the world’s elite, they have very much deserved the chance to officiate this years’ CHL Final in Gothenburg.”

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More about our Final venue

 

Gothenburg's Scandinavium will host the 2019 Champions Hockey League final, it has been confirmed.

 

Frölunda Indians won the right to host the final, having had a better record than Red Bull Munich over the CHL campaign.

 

It will be the venue for the CHL's showpiece event, where the winner will be decided and the European trophy presented.

 

Opened in 1971, the Scandinavium has been Frölunda's home ever since.

 

The arena has a capacity for hockey of 12,044 and as such will be the biggest venue to host a CHL final so far.

 

During it's 48 years, the Scandiavium has hosted other notable events such as the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest, 1981 and 2002 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championships, 1993 and 2011 World Men's Handball Championships, 2005 and 2012 ISU World Synchronised Skating Championships, and Tennis' Davis Cup final four times (1984, 1987, 1988 and 1997).

 

It has also played host to concerts, and has been the venue of the annual Göteborg Horse Show since 1977.

 

The arena is located approximately 250 meters from Korsvägen, a major public transport hub in Gothenburg, where more than 15 different bus lines, and trams four and five, all stop. 

 

Scandinavium itself has stops on tram lines six, eight, thirteen and fourteen.

 

This will be the second time that Gothenburg has hosted the Champions Hockey League final; in 2017, the Indians beat Sparta Prague in overtime at Frölundaborg.

 

 

Tickets sold out

 

Tickets for this season's Champions Hockey League final went on sale at 10 a.m. on January, 23rd.

 

By lunchtime, they had sold out!

 

Any pre-booked tickets that are unclaimed are on sale this week, if available.