Read all about how the Vaxjo Lakers have reached the Champions Hockey League Semi-Finals for the first time.
The Vaxjo Lakers were the champions of the Swedish Hockey League in 2014-15. Their success on the European stage has been limited, however, until now. This season, for the first time, they made it to the Round of 16, and they've gone two more rounds beyond that to the Semi-Finals, where they will face a team that humbled them two years ago: Sparta Prague. So far, the Lakers have the distinction of winning all five home CHL home games they've played, but they've failed to win any of their five away from Vaxjo. Read below to see how that's happened.
Group Stage
The Lakers competed in Group L with BK Mlada Boleslav from the Czech Republic and Belarusian champions Yunost Minsk. They were a different team home than away, winning both home games by four goals while losing both road games in extra time.
They got off to a chaotic start with Mlada Boleslav, and after a sloppy first period the score was tied 3-3. However, they got their act together, dominated the last 40 minutes and won 7-3. Defenceman Calle Rosen and forward Geoff Platt led the way with 2 goals each. Three days later the teams met again in the Czech Republic. Vaxjo gave up a goal in the first and last minutes of regulation time, and went to overtime tied 2-2. Eventually, Mlada Boleslav won in a shootout.
After the second game Vaxjo head coach Sam Hallam explained, “On Thursday we scored first, today we got scored on in the first minute of the game. We played a pretty solid game and we were much better defensively than last time. We battled for the puck and fore-checked really well. Boleslav played really well, they refused to give up and were rewarded with the equalizer. Ultimately, the penalty shooutout decided it.”
Against Yunost it was the reverse, losing 4-3 in overtime in Minsk – with defenceman Cory Murphy assisting on all three goals – and then winning 4-0 on home ice, with Pontus Netterberg scoring twice and Victor Andren making 19 saves for the shutout. The 8 points were enough to place the Lakers first in the group.
Knockout Stage
Vaxjo drew German champions Red Bull Munich in the Round of 32, with the first game in the Bavarian capital being a goaltending duel between Andren and David Leggio. Despite high shot totals just one goal was scored each way, which meant everything would be decided the following week in Vaxjo. There, each team scored once in the first period and Munich took the lead early in the second before the Lakers stormed back with three straight goals – they got 2 power-play markers from Oilli Palola and ultimately won by a single goal to advance.
“I think it was up and down a lot,” said Hallam, who despite winning thought his team could have been better. “We were a little light on details and towards the end we were too weak. We gave them way too many pucks and easy entries into our end. Generally, we need to deliver on a higher level throughout the game. It’s obvious at the end that we didn’t do that. To play with a lead doesn’t mean you just back home, it means that you take decisions and have a readiness which we didn’t manage to show tonight. But we got away with the victory and we’re happy about that.”
The Lakers opened the Round of 16 against SaiPa in Lappeenranta, and fell into a quick two-goal deficit. They managed to get a couple of goals back in the third, but trailed by a goal after 60 minutes. Back on home ice a week later, the Lakers continued to play catch-up all night, having to overcome a two-goal deficit again. Eventually, they got a goal late in the third period by Calle Rosen to equalize the aggregate score at 5, and then a breakaway goal by Erik Josefsson in the last minute of overtime to win it.
“We know that we’re going to play against a very good team, perhaps one of the best in Europe, so it’s going to be two really tough games. It’s going to be fun, definitely,” goalie Andren said, looking ahead to ZSC Lions Zurich. “Now the real fun begins. We’ve said that when you reach the Quarter-Finals, that’s when you have to pick up that little extra something to beat the other team and move on to the next round. It’s going to be very exciting!”
For the third round in a row, Vaxjo opened on the road in Zurich in the Quarter-Finals. And in their fifth attempt this CHL season, they once again failed to get a victory away from home – although for the fourth time the was even after 60 minutes. This time, in fact, there was no scoring of any kind, as the Lakers and the Lions left the ice without a goal. Back in Vaxjo, however, the Lions scored twice in the first period, but the Lakers answered back with a pair of their own in the second, setting up an all-important third period. With under four minutes to play, Calle Rosen's second goal of the game on the power play made the difference.
“Just like the team, it was a bit up and down in the first period,” Rosen said after the return game. “I didn’t have the energy and speed that I need to have, but then I played better just like the team did. It’s always nice to score a few goals as well.”
Looking ahead to the next round of the CHL, which will be played in January, Hallam said, “It’s fun. Now we’re in the Semi-Finals against Sparta Prague, who slaughtered us in two games two seasons ago. We’ll see if we have learned that lesson.”
Summary
Below is a list of the Lakers' path through the 2016-17 CHL season. Click on the score to see a recap, live blog, highlights and statistics from each game.
| Gameday | Day | Date | Time* | Group | Venue | Home | Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Day 1 | Thu | 18.08.2016 | 17:00 | Group L | Vida Arena |  Vaxjo Lakers |  BK Mlada Boleslav | 7:3 |
| Game Day 2 | Sun | 21.08.2016 | 17:00 | Group L | SKO-Energo Arena | BK Mlada Boleslav | Vaxjo Lakers | 3:2 (PS) |
| Game Day 3 | Tue | 23.08.2016 | 19:00 | Group L | Chizhovka-Arena |  Yunost Minsk | Vaxjo Lakers | 4:3 (OT) |
| Game Day 9 | Fri | 09.09.2016 | 19:00 | Group L | Vida Arena | Vaxjo Lakers | Yunost Minsk | 4:0 |
| Round of 32 | Tue | 04.10.2016 | 18:00 | First Game | Olympia-Eisstadion |  Red Bull Munich | Vaxjo Lakers | 1:1 |
| Round of 32 | Tue | 11.10.2016 | 19:00 | Return Game | Vida Arena | Vaxjo Lakers | Red Bull Munich | 4:3 |
| Round of 16 | Tue | 01.11.2016 | 18:00 | First Game | Kisapuisto |  SaiPa Lappeenranta | Vaxjo Lakers | 3:2 |
| Round of 16 | Tue | 08.11.2016 | 19:00 | Return Game | Vida Arena | Vaxjo Lakers | SaiPa Lappeenranta | 4:2 (OT) |
| Quarter-Finals | Tue | 06.12.2016 | 19:45 | First Game | Hallenstadion Zürich |  ZSC Lions Zurich | Vaxjo Lakers | 0:0 |
| Quarter-Finals | Tue | 13.12.2016 | 19:00 | Return Game | Vida Arena | Vaxjo Lakers | ZSC Lions Zurich | 3:2 |
| Semi-Finals | Tue | 10.01.2017 | 20:00 | First Game | Vida Arena | Vaxjo Lakers |  Sparta Prague | |
| Semi-Finals | Tue | 17.01.2017 | 18:30 | Return Game | O2 Arena Prague | Sparta Prague | Vaxjo Lakers |