The 2022/23 Champions Hockey League Playoffs saw some surprising results, big performances and dramatic moments - join us for a recap of all the action.
Clubs from six countries entered the Playoffs but that was reduced to four countries in the Quarter-Finals and even further to just three in the Semi-Finals.
Three DEL teams entered the Round of 16, but rather unexpectedly, not a single one of them moved on to the Quarter-Finals. Bavarian giants Red Bull Munich fell to Swiss side EV Zug 5-1 at home and then 5-1 on the road to be eliminated in spectacular fashion.
The very first Playoffs round also saw Group Stage sensations Straubing struggle with four-time CHL Champions Frölunda Gothenburg, losing 7-2 on aggregate, while Grizzlys Wolfsburg didn't manage to overcome eventual Finalists Luleå Hockey.
Mountfield kept the Czech flag flying high, beating Färjestad to a spot in the final eight, while EV Zug became the only remaining Swiss team in the competition following poor performances from HC Davos, Fribourg-Gottéron and ZSC Lions Zurich, who were all eliminated in the final 16.
Quarter-Finals
The stand-out matchup of the Quarter-Finals was that of Rögle Ängelholm vs Tappara Tampere - an exact rematch of last season's Final in which the Swedes beat the Finns to the title of European Club Champions. In what was a closely-contended game, Rögle beat Tappara 3-2 in the First Game, but a huge 5-1 Return Game saw Tappara move on, as the Finns picked up their first-ever win over Rögle.
Skellefteå AIK locked horns with Frölunda Gothenburg in a tight series that determined its winner in a shootout, as Frölunda bested their fellow SHL rivals to secure a place in the final four for a fourth time in a row.
Mountfield HK faced EV Zug in a two-game series that also went right down to the wire. The Czech team looked poised for a win after a two-goal comeback in the final five minutes of the First Game, but a late goal from the visitors finalised the score at 2-2 leaving it all to play for in Switzerland. The Return Game saw Leonardo Genoni make 28 saves on the night and Brian O'Neill score the game-winner in OT as Zug secured their place in the Semi-Finals for the very first time in their CHL history.
The fourth Quarter-Finals matchup saw Luleå Hockey face Finnish side Jukurit Mikkeli who they already drew in the Group Stage. The Swedes beat Jukurit 5-1 in the First Game and added a 3-1 Return Game win to move on to the Semi-Finals with ease.
Semi-Finals
Two CHL veterans clashed in the Semi-Finals as EV Zug and Tappara Tampere, two of the three teams to have never missed a CHL season since 2014/15, faced each other for the third season in their CHL history. The First Game was played in Tampere's Nokia Arena and saw Christian Heljanko record his fourth shutout of the season in a game that Tappara Tampere dominated from start to finish, earning the Finns a two-goal lead ahead of their Return Game in Switzerland the following week.
The Return Game, a high-pace game packed full of action, saw the Swiss side do their absolute best to secure their place in the Final but ultimately Tappara Tampere's consistent performances, solid goaltending and patience across the two legs proved superior, as the Finns moved on to the Final for a second season in a row.
The second Semi-Finals matchup between Luleå Hockey and Frölunda Gothenburg witnessed two Swedish teams battle it out for a place in the all-or-nothing Final. After a 2-2 First Game, who would move on was to be decided in the Return Game, but that would prove difficult, as after 60 minutes of game time, the score was still indecisive.
Overtime and a subsequent shootout were needed to secure Luleå Hockey's place in the 2022/23 Final, with Brendan Shinnimin scoring the game-winner in the eighth round. Matteus Ward was a key player of the Return Game, making 34 saves and stopping six shots in the shootout to help his team maintain their unbeaten record by claiming their 11th victory of the season.
The Final
For the second time in CHL history, Luleå Hockey were awarded the hosting rights of a CHL Final due to their superior points record over the Group Stage and Playoffs, meaning the snow-covered seaside town of Luleå in northern Sweden would play host to the ultimate game of the 2022/23 season.
Luleå Hockey entered the Final unbeaten with 11 wins to their name, while Finnish side Tappara Tampere were in the Final for a second time in a row, following a disappointing end to last year's season.
A packed Coop Norrbotten Arena welcomed fans from both countries and paid homage to their journeys to the Final with a spectacular intro show.
Tappara's Kristian Tanus opened the scoring of the game under two minutes in, with Niko Ojamäki doubling his side's lead seven minutes into the game to give the Finns a near-perfect start to the game.
Luleå troubled Tappara throughout the second period, but a spectacular Christian Heljanko wouldn't budge and brought the second period to a close with the scoreline still at 2-0 to Tappara.
The Finns added a third goal in the opening minutes of the final frame with Jori Lehterä firing the puck into the home team's net
With minutes ticking away, the Swedes upped the pressure even more and at 52:04, team captain Erik Gustafsson finally beat Heljanko to give his side a ray of hope.
Five minutes later, Juhani Tyrväinen also got his name on the scoresheet, as Luleå got within touching distance of adding goal #3 but a rock-solid Heljanko in net and Tappara's high stakes defending saw the Finns hold on long enough for them to clinch their first Champions Hockey League title and take the European Trophy back to Finland for the first time since 2018.
Rounding out another season of Europe's elite club ice hockey competition, Frölunda’s Ryan Lasch – the CHL’s all-time scoring leader with 131 points – earned his fifth LGT Top Scorer Award, whilst Tappara's Christian Heljanko was awarded the LGT MVP Award.
Read a review of the 2022/23 Group Stage here