Some clubs have already experienced some tough starts, which will make it difficult for them to qualify – and in some cases re-qualify – for the 2015–16 Champions Hockey League. Others have got off to fast starts, and vying to inject some new blood into the event.
by Luke Fisher
Austria
Austria’s top-flight league, the EBEL, has already announced that the teams finishing in the top two places will automatically qualify for the 2015–16 Champions Hockey League – together with Salzburg and Vienna, who are founding clubs (and if either of those teams finishes first or second, the CHL place moves to the next team). If the season ended now, Linz and Graz would make it through to compete with Europe’s elite, with Vienna and Salzburg joining them, as those four clubs occupy the top places. The Capitals are four points clear at the top following wins over Bolzano and Villach. Then come Linz and Graz tied on 18 points – the Black Wings beat Znojmo 6–3 over the weekend, while the Graz 99ers took narrow wins in Innsbruck and at home to Ljubljana. Red Bull Salzburg are then one point further back; after beating Villach SV 6–1 at home, they lost at home to Hungarian side Alba Volan Sunday night 6–4. Villach, who went out in the CHL group stage, are currently third from the bottom while HC Bolzano, who also didn’t make the next CHL round, sit three points above them in eighth.
Czech Republic
Oceláři Třinec continue to lead the way in the Czech Extraliga, despite going down 2–1 on home ice to Sparta Prague over the weekend. They did, though, recover to beat HC Pardubice 5–2 and find themselves six points clear at the top. Mountfield Hradec Králové sit in second spot, with Sparta and Pardubice both a point further behind. Sparta followed up their win in Třinec with a 5–2 victory in Plzeň, while Pardubice beat Litvínov in round 13 to make up for their defeat in round 14. PSG Zlín posted two wins on the weekend to move themselves just two points adrift at the foot of the table, while CHL club Bílí Tygři Liberec had a win and a loss as they continue to sit in mid-table. Some six points separate the top five from the rest of the league now, with just three points in it from positions six to 10.
Denmark
Sønderjyske Vojens came away from Aalborg with a 4–3 win over the Pirates in the Metal Ligaen to stay third in the standings. Blue Fox Herning stay one point clear at the top, with Frederikshavn narrowly behind them.
Finland
Lukko Rauma have extended their lead at the top of the Liiga to three points, with wins over Kärpät Oulu and SaiPa Lappeenranta. KalPa Kuopio still trail them in second place, but have played a game less so could cut the gap completely. In third place are SaiPa, who sit three points further back but notably only two points ahead of sixth place as the race tightens in these early stages. Only one of the top seven teams in the Liiga did not take part in this year’s CHL.
France
Briançon Diables Rouges got a much needed win over fellow strugglers Amiens, beating them 5–3 on home ice. The top French league is currently led by Strasbourg, who are two points clear of Chamonix and Dijon, and then another three teams a point behind them. It’s certainly very tight after the opening six games!
Germany
Wins over Dusseldorf and Augsburg keep Adler Mannheim on top of the DEL after 12 rounds, with Mannheim now boasting a six-point lead over their nearest challengers. That challenge is being mounted by Red Bull Munich, who also recorded two wins on the weekend. Kölner Haie, who sacked their coach a fortnight ago, are still looking for a win under Niklas Sundblad after again coming up short in their two games over the weekend; however, they did take a point in an overtime loss to third-place Eisbären Berlin. The Hamburg Freezers got themselves a huge 8–1 win over the Nuremburg Ice Tigers after recent disappointments. Only five points separate fourth from 12th in the DEL so far.
Great Britain
The Braehead Clan lead the Elite League with 15 points, with a one point lead over the Belfast Giants and Coventry Blaze, who sit just behind them. However, due to scheduling, both the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers have three games in hand on the league leaders, with Sheffield able to go on top and Nottingham able to cut the lead to one point if they both win their games in hand. The Panthers were 5–1 winners in Dundee, before beating Hull in overtime on home ice.
Norway
The Stavanger Oilers have extended their lead at the top of the GET-Ligaen to five points following wins over Sarpsborg and Mangerlud, the latter being an emphatic 10–2 victory over the side who sit ninth out of 10 teams. Lorenskog and Sarpsborg are both tied in second place, some four points above fourth. At the wrong end of the table, Kongsvinger stay rooted to the basement with just one point – and without a regulation win to their name so far.
Slovakia
HC Košice remain two points ahead at the top of Slovakia’s top league, with wins over Banská Bystrica and Skalica in the last two rounds. HK Poprad are just behind them, but four points clear of third placed Zvolven, thanks to their pair of wins on the weekend. Banská Bystrica, Dukla Trenčín, and Nitra occupy places four to six, with just a point between them.
Sweden
A new week, and another new leader for the SHL – this time it’s Frölunda Gothenburg, who now sit one point ahead of Skellefteå AIK thanks to wins over Leksand IF and Luleå Hockey. Skellefteå slipped a place back largely due to their defeat to Färjestad Karlstad, who remain second-last in the table. Luleå, who were the early-season leaders for some time, now find themselves fourth and four points off top spot after defeats to Djurgården Stockholm and Frölunda, whil HV71 Jönköping have moved up to third thanks to wins over Färjestad and the Växjö Lakers. The Lakers themselves slipped down to sixth, overtaken by Brynäs Gävle, who posted two wins over Örebro and Modo Örnsköldsvik, respectively. Brynäs’s climb into fifth place sees them as the only non-CHL side in the top seven.
Switzerland
ZSC Lions Zurich still lead the NLA; however, they continue to be followed closely by HC Davos, who are two points behind having played two fewer games. The Lions lost in Zug midweek but bounced back with a 5–1 win in Ambri-Piotta. Davos meanwhile fell short 3–2 to the Kloten Flyers before winning 6–5 in Fribourg. Lugano, who sit third, could go level on points with ZSC if they win their two games in hand, after wins over Lausanne and Genève-Servette. At the other end, Kloten followed up their win over Davos by winning in Geneva, but couldn’t keep the streak going against Lausanne. Monday night sees Zurich metro-area rivals ZSC and Kloten meet.