The Czech side's road to the Final definitely cannot be considered an easy one - they had to face some of the toughest opponents in the so-called "Group of Death", featuring the most successful team in CHL history, Frölunda Indians, British champions the Cardiff Devils and EBEL Regular Season winners Graz99ers. "We lost our very first game in Cardiff, that wasn't good at all," recalled Smoleňák. "Our start wasn't good, but when we beat Frölunda in Sweden the next game it was kind of a push for us and a reminder that we have the quality needed."

Despite the top-tier opponents, Mountfield fared very well in the Group Stage. "It was a big test for us because of the tough opponents we faced. Some games were better, some worse, but we approached each of them individually," he added. "Especially the Playoff games were very difficult, each opponent played a different style. The fact that we had to react and adapt each time has made us a better team."

But the team from Hradec Králové overcame all of these obstacles, and now need to take the very last step to win the European Trophy and re-write Czech hockey history - and Tomáš Martinec's roster is willing to jump into it head-first. "If you don't win the CHL, no one really cares - people only remember the winners. And I hope we won't be the second Czech team to make it to the Final and lose, but the first to win," hoped Smoleňák.

The last obstacle on their journey to the title is none other than three-time CHL Champions Frölunda, who interestingly, Mountfield have already played this year in the Group Stage. Will this help them? "We know how they play, we know that they have strong players on the team - that will help us going into the game. We played very well in the first match against them, but then we lost at home due to our own mistakes. Our confidence and inner feeling is that we've beaten them before and that we know how to do it, so I don't see a reason why we can't do it again," the optimistic forward explained.

"It will be crucial to think about every shift and the fact that every mistake could be decisive - just how it was with Djurgården and Zug. These are the games where 'ifs' and 'whys' don't matter - only what you show matters, and we have to set our mindset this way in order to win," continued Moundfield's #70.

"We're also happy that we'll be playing at home and won't have to travel anywhere. Especially because of our fans who deserve it for how they have supported us throughout both the CHL and the Czech league this year. I'm happy that they'll be here with us. It's an awesome spotlight for the club, the city, and the whole Czech Republic." Nevertheless, Smoleňák knows that they still have to make that one crucial step. "There's no reason to celebrate yet, we have to prepare so that we make it and make everyone happy," he concluded.

To have the opportunity to compare against the best teams of Europe is a unique experience for every player and Mountfield's captain knows it more than anyone - "The Czech league is not boring whatsoever, but you kind of know everyone and sometimes it's more of a tactical battle. But when you play teams from other countries, you learn variable playstyles, different signals and we even try to use some of these things ourselves. It was very important for us that we made it to the CHL last year and the experience we've got from it has been priceless."