So far the Champions Hockey League has generated a lot of excitement in some of the new cities it has visited. On Thursday night it was Hamar and Gap, and then on Friday fans in Grodno, Nitra and Grenoble had their chances, and players from both teams certainly noticed them.

Staff Writers

Friday was a night of excitement in the Champions Hockey League, as although there were only four games on the schedule, three of them were in cities hosting their first CHL games, and each of those were greeted extraordinarily by the local fans. Grodno, Nitra and Grenoble enthusiastically welcomed Europe's premier club hockey competition.

After Hamar and Gap set the bar high on Thursday with enthusiastic sell-out crowds in their home debuts, Grodno might have outdone them on Friday. While the home fans helped Storhamar and Les Rapaces compete with two of Europe's top clubs on nearly even footing, Grodno not only won, but shut out the reigning German champions 2–0 to the delight of their home faithful.

“First of all, I have to say a big thank to our fans – it's a pleasure to play in such an atmosphere,” Neman head coach Milos Holan marvelled when it was done. “We played well on the power play and it was a great experience for our players. We had a clear goal for the game and everybody played great today.” 

Said Mannheim's Andrew Joudry, “I think they played very well. The fans behind them were so loud. We had a slow start in the game and Neman’s goalie played very well. We conceded two power-play goals but we could not score in the same way. That was the big difference.”

Neman scored two power-play goals, but the hero of the night – and the main object of the fans' affection – was goaltender Maxim Samankov, who stopped all 35 shots he faced. He deflected the praise, however, stating, “We played well on the power play and did not let them set up. The decisive factor in the game was playing responsible defensively.”

HK Nitra also faced strong opponents in their home CHL debut – one of the best clubs in Europe, in fact – and their fans cheered them on to an energetic first period from which they were unlucky not to emerge with the lead. Ultimately, the talent on the Skelleftea AIK roster became evident although Nitra kept close, ultimately falling 4–2. 

“We’re very fortunate to win this very difficult game,” said Skelleftea coach Hans Wallson. “It wasn’t easy for us to play against Nitra in this stormy atmosphere. I was pleasantly surprised by the fans - the noise level was fantastic.”

Forward Axel Holmstrom echoed his coach's sentiments: “This was the first competitive game we had and the crowd was great – they were really loud and it was a surprise, but also the game was great. It was the first one and both teams came very very close to winning.”

Said Nitra forward Marek Slovak, “We had great fan support here tonight who drove us and the atmosphere was great. I think that when we play 100 percent, we can play with the best teams.” 

The team in Grenoble also faced a tough challenge against Czech champions HC Litvinov. On Thursday night, Gap showed how passionate the fans in the French Alps can be, and Grenoble proved this was no fluke. Like in Nitra, the energy in the building helped the home team keep the game scoreless through two periods, but Litvinov broke it open with a pair of power-play goals in the second and won 4–1.

“In the first period we managed to contain them – we even managed to get good opportunities – but in the second period we stopped playing for about five minutes and they managed to take the advantage of the game,” said Grenoble forward Jordann Peret. “We took some penalties and they managed to score. Then in the third period, we tried to come back. We had a pretty good game but we didn't play 60 minutes at 100 percent and that's what costs us the win. The penalties in the second period gave them the momentum and then it was difficult to come back.”

We still have another group-stage game to go from all three locations, as well as from Hamar and Gap. As well, cities like Dusselforf, Munich, Espoo, Klagenfurt, Linz, Litvinov, Sheffield and Glasgow still have their first shots at hosting games on the European stage. Which new team has the best fans in the CHL?