After the Quarter-Finals of the 2019/20 Champions Hockey League season, just four teams remain in the competition, and one of those remaining hails from the Czech Republic.
For Mountfield HK, who are in their third CHL season, this is the furthest they’ve ever reached after two Group Stage exits in their previous attempts.
They take on Swedish side Djurgården Stockholm in the Semi-Finals, where Mountfield will be looking to spoil the party and stop an all-Swedish final from taking place as former CHL champions Luleå Hockey take on the reigning champions the Frölunda Indians who are both looking to make the final once again.
It hasn’t been the easiest route to this point for Mountfield, and after they played to a 1-1 draw in their first leg of the Quarter-Finals against EV Zug of Switzerland they needed a big performance in the second leg, and that’s exactly what they got with a 4-0 victory.
“We appreciate this a lot. Zug were definitely the toughest opponent we met throughout the whole season,” Captain Radek Smoleňák said following their victory in the second leg. “They played really well and it was important for us we survived the start of both games."
"I’m proud of our guys, they showed everyone we can play."Radek Smoleňák following their 4-0 victory over EV Zug
Smoleňák assisted on a goal by Tomáš Vincour in the first leg, and followed that up in the second leg with an assist and a goal of his own. “With my goal, we had a good shift, we were fast on the forecheck. We had a big chance before that, and we knew we had to get everything on the goal," he added. “Goals like this happen, this one was really important as well. It definitely helps you to be ahead by two goals rather than one.”
With the offence firing on all cylinders in the 4-0 victory, it was an equally impressive performance in net by goalie Marek Mazenec who stopped all 29-shots he faced in the second leg. “He’s been fantastic for couple of months already,” Smoleňák said of Mazenc. “We’re happy for him and hope he continues to play like this. On the other hand, we can’t just leave it to him to save us every game. We have to help him more. Not only defensively, but also by scoring goals.”
Now it’s onto the Semi-Finals for Mountfield, and a shot at securing their place in the Grand Final. “The games in the Champions Hockey League push us forward. It’s great to clash with the top European teams, so we have to take as much as we can with us, both positive and negative” he concluded.