Ice Hockey 2016 - 2017 Discussion Thread

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

2016/2017

 

  SLOVAKIA

HC 05 BANSKÁ BYSTRICA

1st League Title

 

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First title for Banska Bystrica

Slovak Extraliga has a new champion

This time they made it! HC 05 Banská Bystrica is Slovak champion for the first time ever. Congrats!

 

HC ‘05 Banska Bystrica is the new champion of Slovakia. The team based in the centre of the country won the title for the first time in history but their road to success was very hard.

“You must have a lot of luck and we had it, but without that it is impossible. This team has power, character, great leaders and amazing fans. We believed that we could accomplish our goal this time,” said Banska Bystrica coach and former NHL player Vladimir Orszagh.

And he exactly knew why he said that. Banska Bystrica participated in the Extraliga final for the third time in a row, but only this time they finished top. Banska Bystrica has been the favourite of the league. After the regular season they clinched first place and entered the playoffs as top-seeded team.

In the first round they beat HC Nove Zamky 4-1 in the series and scored 27 goals in five game. In the next round against Martin Banska Bystrica recorded 25 goals and won the series 4-1 as well. The final series against Nitra was a big challenge for coach Orszahg after the history of lost finals.

This time though it started better for the players from the Banska Bystrica as they won the first game 4-1. It looked like everything would go well for them, but the second game brought victory for the defending champion Nitra, 4-3.

“We got into the game with great activity and enthusiasm. We had many shots and chances. We deserved at least one win in Banska Bystrica,” said Nitra coach Andrej Kmec. So, after the first two games the players of the defending champion were in a good position. The series moved to Nitra and the home crowd was hoping for other victories.

Nitra started their initial home game like everyone wanted. Although they were back from the 11th minute, they managed to score the two goals with five minutes to go in the game and were leading 2-1. But Pavol Skalicky tied the game. Everyone was waiting for the extra time but 21 seconds before the end Brock Higgins shocked Nitra with the game-winning goal for Banska Bystrica.

“It was a great victory,” said Banska Bystrica defenceman Michal Sersen after the game. “In the end we were luckier and I am very happy we earned another win. We made one more step, but it's not over yet.”

After this win the Nitra players knew they had to win at least their second home game of the final series, otherwise they would end up losing the whole series. The game started better for Nitra scoring the first goal after nine minutes. After that no one managed to score and everything looked like Nitra was going to tie the series. But Banska Bystrica came with tying goal with 90 seconds left in regulation time. Everyone was waiting for the overtime again when Tomas Surovy scored another goal with 57 seconds to go to give Banska Bystrica another last-minute victory.

“Same as the game before. You have to play until the last second. We didn't play well from the beginning but we knew Nitra needed the victory. After that we started to come back and in the end we were luckier again,” said Banska Bystrica centre Michal Handzus.

Banska Bystrica needed one more win to become the champion as the series moved to their home ice again and everything was ready for the celebrations in front of a capacity crowd of 2,841 fans. This time they made it clear early and crushed their opponent 6-2. Banska Bystrica won their first title in the history of Slovak hockey and so the ceremony could begin.

“It’s a fantastic feeling. We were standing here as losers a year ago. We now wanted to win it for our fans and we did it. I am very happy for the guys who brought the final road to the winning end,” said coach Orszagh.

“It's a great feeling winning the title at home,” said captan Michal Handzus who was born in Banska Bystrica. “I focused on the game 100%. Only about three minutes before the end I enjoyed the atmosphere. It's big thing for our club and the whole town,” said Handzus, who added Slovak title to Stanley Cup victory from 2010 and gold medal from World Championship in 2002

Liptovsky Mikulas and Trencin secure Extraliga spot

In the play-out the first two teams from the second-tier Slovak league and last two of the Extraliga battled for two spots in the top league. Challengers Detva and Skalica played in the 12-round schedule with Liptovsky Mikulas and Dukla Trencin. For Trencin the play-out was a big disappointment. The club that developed players like Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa and Zdeno Chara wasn’t doing very well and its future remained uncertain until the last day.

Liptovsky Mikulas on the other hand secured the Extraliga spot for the next season early with a 10-2 record while Trencin was fighting to stay in the top league until the last round with a game against Detva. The team needed to win and after the very hard game they got it.

“It was very difficult for us from the mental side. I knew we had a better team, but in hockey everything is possible,” said coach Julius Penzes after the 4-0 win in the last game. “When we started the season with Jan Kobezda behind the bench we had several wins. After that our key players got injured and everything came to an end with Jan's death. These days were very hard for us. Our guys were suffering, it's difficult to explain,” said Penzes, who symbolically put his forefingers in the air to dedicate this win to Jan Kobezda, who served as general manager of the team and took over the duties as head coach during the season before dying of a heart attack in January.

 

 

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

participants known

32 teams to play in top European club competition

 

With the decision of the Slovakian Extraliga, the 32 teams that will compete in the 2017/18 Champions Hockey League are known.

Banska Bystrica won the Slovak Extraliga on Saturday night, defeating HK Nitra 6-2 to win the best-of-seven series in five games. With that decision, all participants of the 2017/18 Champions Hockey League season are now known.

Founding Leagues (team allocation according to CHL league ranking)
Sweden (5 teams):

• Brynas Gavle,
• HV71 Jönköping,
• Frolunda Gothenburg,
• Malmo Redhawks,
• Vaxjo Lakers.

Finland (5): 

• IFK Helsinki,
• Jyp Jyvaskyla,
• KalPa Kuopio,
• Tappara Tampere,
• TPS Turku.

Switzerland (4): 

• EV Zug,
• HC Davos,
• SC Bern,
• ZSC Lions Zurich.

Czech Republic (4): 

• Bili Tigry Liberec,
• Ocelari Trinec,
• Kometa Brno,
• Mountfield Hradec Kralove.

Germany (3): 

• Adler Mannheim,
• Grizzlys Wolfsburg,
• Red Bull Munich.

Austria/EBEL (3): 

• KAC Klagenfurt,
• Red Bull Salzburg,
• Vienna Capitals.

Criteria within each league: 1. CHL Champion, 2. National League Champion, 3. Regular season winners, 4. Regular season runner-up, 5. Losing playoff-finalist, 6. Higher regular season ranked losing semi-finalist, 7. Lower regular season ranked losing semi-finalist, 8. Third placed team in regular season

In addition, the following champions from “challenge leagues” are qualified for the CHL:
Slovakia: 

• Banska Bystrica

Norway: 

• Stavanger Oilers

Belarus:

• Neman Grodno

Denmark:

• Esbjerg Energy

Great Britain:

• Cardiff Devils

France:

• Gap Rapaces

Poland: 

• Cracovia Krakow

IIHF Continental Cup winner:

• Nottingham Panthers

As soon all involved national leagues are decided – which will be Thursday, 29 April at the latest – the qualified teams will be ranked and placed into four baskets of eight teams each, in preparation for the CHL Group Stage Draw. The Draw takes place on 17 May in Cologne during the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

2017/18 Playing format

The Group Stage starts on 24 August and finishes on 11 October. The total of 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four and each team plays six games – one home and one away against the other three teams in its group. The first- and second-placed teams in each group then advance to the Playoff Stage.

With 16 teams in the playoffs, four rounds are required to determine the European club champions. The first three rounds are all two-game, home-and-away, total-goal series, similar to the previous seasons. The playoffs start on 31 October and finish with an ultimate one-game final on 6 February 2018.

 

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Friendly Matches

26th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships

Switzerland - Denmark  4-5

 

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MEN'S CHALLENGE CUP OF ASIA

DIVISION I

2017

 

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Cup for Kuwait

Home team wins CCOA Division I

The Kuwaiti players and staff celebrate after winning the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia Division I on home ice.

 

Kuwait hosted the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey Challenge Cup of Asia Division I and it was a success for the country on the ice as it won all three games to keep the trophy at home.

Re-entering the competition, the Kuwaiti started strong and beat Macau 8-0. Ahmad Al Ajmi opened the scoring at 8:00 and added a natural hat trick in the third period in front of 450 spectators. The 38-year-old veteran easily won the scoring race with 11 goals and 17 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

India provided the hosts a bigger challenge on the second day and went up 3-0 with three goals between 11:47 and 12:45. Then the Kuwaiti reacted immediately and scored three goals in less than one minute on their own between 13:14 and 14:05.

The game continued to go back and forth and Kuwait tied it at five midway the third period before scoring three unanswered goals for an 8-5 win.

Kuwait needed at least one point from its last game against Oman to win the tournament but had little trouble this time, steamrolling its Gulf rival 13-0.

India, which used to struggle at these tournaments because the national championship is only played on a frozen water reservoir in the deepest winter weeks, showed a much improved performance and took second place at the event after wins against Oman, 3-2, and Macau, 7-3. It’s the first time India won two games in a tournament.

The win against Oman was only the second time that the Indian men’s national team won an IIHF-sanctioned game after beating Macau in 2012 on home ice in Dehradun. Long time the Indians didn’t capitalize on their surplus of shots against Oman but in the third period Tsewang Dorjey’s second goal of the game tied it at two and with 2:09 left in regulation time Rigzin Norboo scored the game winner.

Two Indians won individual awards with Nawang Dorje voted Best Goaltender and Chamba Tsetan Best Forward. Kuwait’s Jasem Al Awadhi was named Best Defenceman.

Oman recorded its first regulation-time win in IIHF play when it beat Macau 2-1. Macau outshot the Omani 26-18 but goals from Talal Ambusaidi and Ibrahim Al Gabashi gave Oman the lead they managed to defend to earn a third-place finish.

 

 

Results Thread

 

 

 

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Friendly Matches

27th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships

After the Karjala Cup in Finland the Channel One Cup in Russia and the Swedes Hockey Games in Sweden, the Euro Hockey Tour continue this week with its last 4th stage in the Czech Republic with the Carlson Hockey Games in České Budějovice.

 

Today The hosts

Czech Republic defeated Finland 3-2

and

Sweden won against Russia 4-3 after Overtime.

Standing after Day 1. Czech Republic leading the tournament with 3 points, Sweden second with 2 points, Russia third with 1 point and Finland 4th pointless.

 

In the cumulative overall standing Russia the 2016/17 Euro Hockey Tour already official winner has actually 25 points, Czech Republic is second with 15 points, Sweden 3rd with 11 points and Finland 4th with 9 points.

 

After a day off tomorrow the teams will reply again on Saturday when the this seasons Euro Hockey Tour penultimate matchday is scheduled. The Czechs will face Sweden and Russia will meet Finland.

 

Other Matches

Norway "B"  - Russia "B"  2-8

 

 

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

2016/2017

 

  FINLAND

TAPPARA TAMPERE

17th League Title

 

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Tappara’s historic title

Tampere team grabs all-time top spot

The Tappara Tampere players celebrate with the trophy after defending the Finnish championship.

 

They did it again. For the second time in a row, Tappara Tampere got to celebrate winning the Finnish championship when they beat KalPa Kuopio 3-1 in Game 6 of the final. The championship-winning goal was scored by Juhani Jasu in the third period, after a strong individual effort in which he intercepted a KalPa pass in the neutral zone and then, after a battle with a KalPa player, beating goaltender Eero Kilpelainen with a backhander, breaking a 1-1 tie.

It was the club’s 17th Finnish title, most in history, and tenth since 1975 when the current league format was established, tied with TPS Turku.

“I guess the dream is to score the big goal in Game 7 but I think it’s better this way,” he told Finnish Nelonen.

“One might think it’s been an easy season since we’ve been at the top of the standings for most of the season, but the reality is different. They say it’s easier to get to the top than to stay there and we’ve had to work so hard, all of us, from players to coaches to the trainers. We managed to deal with adversity which tells you everything about the quality of the people on and around the team,” he added.

“We’re disappointed but it was a great season, all in all, especially the playoffs. It was an unbelievable experience to see how the fans and the city supported us,” KalPa captain Jussi Timonen told Savon Sanomat.

Tappara has made it to the final in five consecutive years now, having lost the first three finals, before winning in 2016 and defending the title this season. And while Tappara has been the one constant in the Finnish hockey season finale in recent years, the opponent has been different in four of the five finals. Karpat and Tappara played in two straight finals in 2014 and 2015, with the Oulu team winning both.

This year’s opponent, KalPa, was the definition of the underdog. In a pre-season Jaakiekkolehti poll of eleven hockey journalists around the country, ten of eleven predicted KalPa to finish in the bottom 5 of the standings. The one dissenting opinion place KalPa seventh in 15-team league. They finished third in the regular season, six wins behind Tappara, the regular season winner.

Tappara had to go the distance in their quarter-final series against Ilves Tampere, before beating IFK Helsinki in five games in the semi-final. KalPa, on the other hand, beat the Pelicans Lahti in five games in their quarter-final but then had a rough seven-game series with JYP Jyvaskyla in the semi-final.

KalPa won the first two games of the final series, but once Tappara got going, their methodical style, supported by Dominik Hrachovina’s excellent goaltending, suffocated KalPa. Rallying back from 0-2, and grabbing four straight wins is a testament to Tappara’s strength. All in all, Tappara had 18 last year’s champions on their roster.

“It was the experience of the older players on the team that turned the series. They never lost faith,” said Hrachovina.

“I’m very proud of the team, the players have been committed and ambitious from the beginning, and we’ve had the leaders that have carried us at certain points of the season. You can’t win a championship if you’re not ready to shed some blood, sweat and tears,” said Tappara coach Jussi Tapola, 42, who is stepping down after two seasons as an assistant coach and three as the head coach.

“What has been missing from this team is something you sometimes see in other leagues and that’s doing things for money. This team and the whole organization is committed to being a sports team, and now we’ve even got some success which makes it even better,” he said to Yle.

Last year, when Tappara won their 16th (and ninth since 1975) championship, they had six players on the roster who had been on the losing side three years in a row and this year, four remained as the backbone of the team: Henrik Haapala, Jan-Mikael Jarvinen, Jukka Peltola, and Pekka Saravo. Haapala won the regular season scoring title with 60 points in 51 games, followed by teammate Veli-Matti Savinainen, who scored 56 points in 55 games.

Jarvinen, Saravo, and Savinainen served as alternates to captain Jukka Peltola, the winner of the Jari Kurri Trophy as the playoffs MVP. Peltola scored four points in the last four games.

And on Saturday, the team will meet their fans on the main square. Same procedure as last year.
 

 

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Friendly Matches

28th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships

Norway "B" - Slovenia  3-5

Norway - Slovakia  2-3

Switzerland - Denmark  2-0

 

Very strange match, It looks like we tried some tests segments tonight. Great start with a almost perfect 1st period, outshooting the opponent and played very good hockey, fast, combative, very pleasant perfomance, scoring 2 nice goals, but then just stoped to play, allowing Norway to restart the match, we let them play and easily tie the score, but then suddenly we restarted to play again like in first frame and glue them in their zone, then scoring the winning goal and relatively easily controlling the end of the match. let see tomorrow, the last match before the worlds again in Hamar against Norway.

 

Highlights (goals) of the match. the 2nd was a very nice one

 

2nd goal (all action)

Spoiler

 

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Friendly Matches

29th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships (EURO HOCKEY TOUR)

The Czech Hockey Games, last 4th stage of the prestigious Euro Hockey Tour continued today with its 2nd day.

Finland won against Russia by a football score 1-0,

and the Host Czech Republic defeated Sweden in a no defence match 8-4.

 

The Czech Republic is the official winner of the home tournament with 6 points and can not be overtaken anymore, 2nd Finland has 3 points but worse H2H match with CZE (2:3), 3rd Sweden has 2 points and Russia 4th with 1 single point.

 

In the Overall cumulative Standing, before tomorrows last match Day: Russia is already official winner they have now 25 points, 2nd Czech Republic has 18 points and is assured to finish second. There will be only a fight for 3rd place between the Nordic countries, Finland actually 3rd with 12 points and Sweden 4th with 11 points.

 

Tomorrow last day of the Euro Hockey Tour and the Czech Hockey Games with matches Sweden vs Finland and Czech Republic vs Russia.

 

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Road to World Championships

Russia "B" - Slovenia  5-3

Norway - Slovakia  0-3

 

 

So our team will travel to Cologne with a winning mood. A nice win in the last preparation match tonight in Hamar against the host Norway, Nice shutout for the Goalie Július Hudáček, Very pleasant defensive performance, this will be very important at worlds, in other side our offensive play is still quite bad, low shooting efficiency, we really need some million occasions to score a goal, at least Michel Miklík who had a amazing season in Finland, looks still in a promising good shape, scoring in both matches he played yesterday and today.

 

Here quick 1 minute goals highlights of todays last test match before the WCh

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NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

2016/2017

 

  SWEDEN

HV 71 JONKOPING

5th League Title

 

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HV71 Sweden’s number one

Onerud scores overtime-winner in Game 7

 

The Swedish hockey league season got a fairy-tale ending when HV71 Jonkoping’s Simon Onerud tapped in Martin Thornberg’s assist about halfway through the first overtime period of Game 7 on home ice in Jonkoping to win the game against Brynas Gavle 2-1. Both are originally products of HV71’s junior program, and served as team captains during the playoffs.

Onerud wore the C when Thornberg was sidelined in games five and six, having blocked a shot with his protective cup, and undergone a surgery. (The team’s regular season captain, Chris Abbott, suffered a neck injury in a practice during the team’s playoff run, and played only seven games).

“Last Tuesday, I couldn’t even stand up,” Thornberg told Sportbladet.

For HV71, getting Thornberg back in the lineup was a huge mental boost, and in the end, it was the determination of the 34-year-old second generation HV71 player, who also won the title with HV71 in 2004, 2008, and 2010, that was the difference in Game 7. He forced his way to the net in the first overtime period and sent a perfect backhand pass to Onerud who tapped the puck in.

“It’s crazy, I have no words. This is my home town, my team, it’s Game 7, overtime, and I get to score the game-winner on home ice. It’s unreal, I can’t believe it’s true,” Onerud told C More.

The championship-clinching goal was his tenth in the playoffs, most of all. Onerud was also named the winner of the Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy as the playoffs MVP. Liv, who died in the Yaroslavl plane accident in 2011, was the goaltender on HV71’s championship teams in 2004, 2008, and 2010.

“To win the prize means so much to me not only because it is one of the finest individual prizes you can win but also because it’s named after Stefan who was also at his best when it matters the most,” Onerud said.

While HV71 was the favourite to win the final, Brynas wasn’t a big underdog. HV71 finished second in the regular season, Brynas fifth, but the teams were separated by only five points (and had the same amount of regulation-time wins). In the post-season, though, HV71 advanced to the final having swept Farjestad in the first round, and dropping only one game to Malmo in the second round while Brynas had to play six games with Linkoping and then go the distance in its semi-final series against Frolunda, the 2016 champions.

But Brynas had their opportunity to win the club’s 14th championship. Three of the games in the final went into overtime, with Brynas winning two of them. They also had a 3-2 lead in the series going home for Game 6, but couldn’t find the way to take the fourth win.

Maybe the difference was goaltender Linus Soderstrom who played all 16 games and posted a respectable 92.17 save percentage (while illnesses forced Brynas to use two goalies). Maybe the pucks bounced HV71’s way when it most counted. Maybe HV71’s experience was the key. After all, their coach Johan Lindbom scored the overtime game-winner in 1995 when HV71 beat Brynas in Game 5 of the best-of-five final.

“It was a close series but I think our best players were better than theirs and that we deserved to win,” Lindbom said.

It was a team effort, said Martin Thornberg.

“It feels like we’re all from here, whether you’re an American, a Canadian, a Finn, or born here in Jonkoping. We all worked hard for each other,” he said.

There’s an old story about Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers walking past the New York Islanders dressing room after the Stanley Cup final in 1983, and instead of a big party, they saw the Islanders nursing their numerous injuries, showing Gretzky the price one must pay for a championship.

That was obvious also in Jonkoping.

And when Thornberg received the Le Mat trophy to hoist it as Swedish champions, he did it together with Abbott, who was on the ice wearing a heavy neck brace.

“It just felt right. He broke his neck and has been to every single practice to support us,” Thornberg said.

And then there was a big party.

 

 

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Friendly Matches

30th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships (EURO HOCKEY TOUR)

The Euro Hockey Tour Finished today with the last day of the 4th stage the Czech Hockey Games in České Budějovice.

Sweden lost to Finland 2-3 in the Nordic Derby.

and host Czech Republic lost to Russia 3-4 After GWS.

 

 

The Czech Republic won the Czech Hockey Games with 7 points, Finland finished second with 6 points, Russia 3rd with 3 points and Sweden 4th with 2 points.

 

 

Euro Hockey Tour 2016/17 Final Standing:

 

Russia  won the prestigious trophy with a total amount of 27 Points, Their win was sure already after the 3rd stage the Sweden Hockey Games in February.

 

2nd Finished Czech Republic with 19 points, The Czechs had a great season this edition finished 2nd in two tournaments Karjala Cup and Sweden Hockey Games and winning the last stage Czech Hockey Games.

 

Finland 3rd with 15 points, a logical standing since Finland was 3rd in 3 of the 4 tournaments.

 

Sweden this year finished 4th out of the podium with 11 points from the 12 matches. Sweden won at least the 2nd stage the prestigios Channel One Cup in Russia (Former Izvestia Trophy).

 

 

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Road to World Championships

France - Belarus  3-1

Germany - Latvia  3-4 After OT