Read below for more information on the Round of 32 series between HC Lugano and HC Pilsen. Lugano won 7-4 to advance to the Round of 16.
Preview
HC Lugano are part of a strong contingent of Swiss teams that have come to this year's CHL, and they won a very tough group that included Finnish champions Tappara Tampere. HC Pilsen, on the other hand, had a good chance to be winners of a group with no clear favourite, but stumbled against HK Nitra from Slovakia and finished second. On paper, Lugano should be the favourites, but injuries to the back end and especially to goalie Elvis Merzlikins, combined with an offensive flair shown from Pilsen, could make this an interesting two games.
Despite Lugano being the higher seed, they will host the first game of this series, with the return leg being played in Pilsen. Home ice might not be such a huge factor, though, as both won once and lost once at home during the group stage.
Closer look: HC Lugano
(2-1-0-1, 8 points, 11:9, 1st in Group C)
Lugano won a very tight Group C, winning three out of four games. They started by allowing two goals in the first period in Mannheim before coming back to win 3-2. Then, after a 3-1 home loss to Tappara, they returned the favour by a win by the same score in Tampere. In their last game at home to Mannheim, they needed just a point to secure their place in the next round – they got it with a tying goal from Patrik Zackrisson in the dying seconds, then secured the group win with an overtime power-play goal by Linus Klasen. They looked strong in the group stage, but things could be more difficult moving forward with a rash of injuries to deal with.
Damien
Brunner
3+2, +1
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Damien Brunner played 135 games in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings and the New Jersey Devils and has a rare quality for a Swiss born player – he’s a sniper, and he's already shown it in this CHL season with 3 goals and 2 assists, including the game-winning goal in Mannheim. He will be one of the key players, together with his linemates Tony Martensson and Linus Klasen, and if Brunner continues to score, Lugano has a good chance to take one more step forward.
Alessandro
Chiesa
0+1, +1
Top Defenceman: With three important defencemen out with injuries (Kparghai, Vauclair and Furrer, the first two long-term), new captain of the Bianconeri Alessandro Chiesa has a major responsibility, but he has the full confidence of head coach Doug Shedden, who moulded him in Zug into a Swiss national team player, and he’s also a leader in the locker room. Recent addition Ryan Wilson will bring more depth and physicality to the Lugano defence.
Daniel
Manzato
89.66 %
Top Goaltender: Daniel Manzato, who until two seasons ago was the No. 1 goalie for Lugano, had to face the rise of Elvis Merzlikins and had a very unfortunate last season when he was injured twice. When he came back after his first injury he was loaned to Bern but he couldn't finish his first game due to another knee injury and the 2015-16 season was over for him in October. He's healthy again and played one game for Lugano in the group stage of the CHL. Now with the injury to Merzlikins, who will be unavailable for the Round of 32, he has the chance to prove that he's still able to play at a high level.
Click here for team statistics.
Closer look: HC Pilsen
(2-0-0-2, 6 points, 12:10, 2nd in Group J)
Things started out well for Pilsen when they opened with a 3-0 win in Stavanger, thanks to strong performances from Dominik Kubalik and Matej Machovsky. They then stumbled in two games against Slovak champs Nitra, however, losing 2-1 in Slovakia, then on home ice blowing an early 2-0 lead and losing 4-2. That put them in the position of having to win their last game against Stavanger and they did, 6-4. Pilsen has shown an ability to score and they might try to expose a Lugano back end that has been hit by injuries, but they've also had trouble holding leads and keeping the puck out of their own net at times.
Dominik
Kubalik
4+2, +4
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Dominik Kubalik is only 21 years old, but has already become the best scorer in the Czech Extraliga – the Pilsen-native scored 25 goals in 48 games last season. His start to this season in Champions Hockey League was also impressive as he registered 3 points in his first game and then added 3 more in the other three games. Although he received a game misconduct penalty in one game, he has been the key player for Pilsen. His line, with centre Jaroslav Kracik and right-winger Miroslav Indrak, is extremely strong and played together all of last season.
David
Sklenicka
0+0, +2
Top Defenceman: It’s hard to choose one defenceman because Pilsen's defence has been struggling since the start of the season, but it’s obvious that 20-year-old David Sklenicka is a very talented player. He played almost every game last season for Pilsen in Extraliga, and although he is not a big point producer, he is very reliable defensively. He may not be the heaviest player on the team, but his hits are very strong and he is hard to beat in 1-on-1 situations.
Matej
Machovsky
91.26%
Top Goaltender: Matej Machovsky. No doubt about it. One of the best goaltenders in the Czech league played key role in Pilsen’s success last season, reaching the semi-finals. He has been No. 1 for Pilsen since the 2013-14 season, when Marek Mazanec signed with the Nashville Predators. He was also the third goaltender for the Czech national team at this year’s World Championship in Russia. Machovsky posted a shutout in first CHL game in Stavanger.