Adler Mannheim have never been past the Round of 16 in the Champions Hockey League , while Mountfield HK had never made the Playoffs until this season - so whoever gets through this tie will be in unchartered territory.
Adler Mannheim’s five wins and a sole loss were enough for them to top Group G with 14 points and place them among some of the strongest teams of the Group Stage. However, it’s not just the wins that reflect their form, the scorelines also tell a story of their own – most notably their 6-1 home win and 4-0 away win over the Vienna Capitals, and 5-0 win over GKS Tychy on the road. Despite scoring so many goals throughout the Group Stage, they have all been equally divided among their ranks showing their strength in depth and balanced squad. Home ice has proved to be a big advantage for them – they have been especially lethal at home and won all three of their home games and only conceding a single goal there overall.
"It's going to be a great experience. Every tram in the Playoffs deserves to be there, and Czech teams always have lots of talent."Jan-Axel Alavaara (Sport Manager, Adler Mannheim)
In their third attempt at the Champions Hockey League, Mountfield have finally made the Round of 16. In recent years, they’ve been successful in the Czech Extraliga, reaching the semi-finals in each of the past two seasons. After splitting their first four games against Cardiff and Frölunda, they were third in Group H but, with many travelling fans behind them, won on Gameday 5 in Graz. That combined with a pair of Frölunda wins over Cardiff meant that they were qualified regardless of the outcome of their last game, which they won anyway to finish second. Former NHLer Tomáš Vincour led the team offensively with seven points.
"I’m glad that Mannheim have such great fans, and I think it will be a great matchup for supporters of both teams."Aleš Kmoníček (General Manager, Mountfield HK)