With only a handful of Group Stage games left in this year’s Champions Hockey League, the final Playoff places are finally being secured, and last night’s action saw a lot of teams either secure qualification, or top spot in their group.
Coming into this season, Frölunda Gothenburg were once again defending CHL Champions and expected to do well once more, but it wasn’t an easy journey to get out of the Group Stage this year.
It took them until Game Day 6 to finally secure their Playoff place, which came after a 4-1 win over Finnish side IFK Helsinki.
After stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced, Frölunda netminder Matthew Tomkins was quick to praise the efforts of his team in the win.
“That’s a great win for our team first and foremost, it was a huge game coming into it, basically it was do or die for us.” Tomkins said following the win.
“We got off to a great start and kept the momentum going through the game, and it was a great game all around by our players."
“They made it easy for me tonight, blocking a lot of shots and keeping everything to the outside so credit to them.”Frölunda goalie Matthew Tomkins speaks following their 4-1 win over IFK Helsinki
Goals from Ryan Lasch, Christian Folin, Nicklas Lasu and Joel Lundqvist were enough to seal the victory for Frölunda and top spot in Group B, ahead of ZSC Lions Zurich.
Over in Group E, Tappara Tampere secured top spot of their group after a 4-2 win over Skellefteå AIK. The two sides met last week with Skellefteå coming out on top in a one-sided 6-1 score line, so the victory for Tappara was a huge improvement for the Finnish side.
“I’m ecstatic, I know the team is as well.” Forward Kyle Platzer said following the result.
“We’ve had a tough start to our domestic season, I think every game and every day we’ve been getting better."Kyle Platzer of Tappara Tampere speaks as the Finnish side secure Playoffs qualification
“I think today was a culmination of those things, we played good defence, our powerplay was clicking and we put the puck in the net more than they did.”
With qualification secured, as well as top spot, now Tappara just have to wait to see who they will play in the Round of 16 without worrying about any more results.
“That win feels good, it feels good to win our group and move on to the next stage and show the rest of Europe what kind of team we are.”
Tappara and the rest of this year’s qualifiers will have to wait until Friday to find out who they play next, but for Platzer, he feels his team have what it takes to succeed in the next stages of the competition.
“We have four really good lines, six good defenseman and two good goalies. We’re a really deep team like any other good team in Europe, and I think if we show up like we did tonight, I think we can pretty much beat anybody.”
Back in Frölunda, with top spot secured and the side currently in top spot in the Swedish Hockey League, it’s safe to say goaltender Tomkins is enjoying life with his new team as the Canadian makes his first venture into European hockey.
“It’s been awesome, I’m really enjoying it. Obviously, things are good when you’re winning and things are good for us as a group right now, we’re just looking to keep building off of it, and keep the momentum going.”
A common theme among teams this year is the appreciation of fans being back in buildings, and the feeling isn’t lost on Tomkins.
“It’s amazing, the supporters have been unreal all year long, can’t say enough about them. They make it fun to play every night and make it fun to win. It’s amazing to have them behind us and credit to them they’ve been amazing all year.”
The Champions Hockey League presents a new challenge for players, and new opportunities to travel across Europe to play the best team’s European hockey has to offer, something that excites new players to the competition like Platzer of Tappara.
“I love it, I’m a big soccer fan so when I saw we were playing Champions Hockey League and the teams we were playing, and the level of play that it is, I was super excited to come here and get a taste of it and I’ve loved every second of it, I’m excited to keep it going.”