Read below for information on the Round of 32 series between Farjestad Karlstad and Bili Tygri Liberec. Liberec won 4-3 to advance to the Round of 16.
Preview
Farjestad Karlstad take on Bili Tygri Liberec in a meeting between two teams that have never faced each other directly, but have recent experience with teams from the opposite league. Farjestad is just coming off playing Sparta Prague twice in the group stage, where they took four of six points. Sparta were finalists in the Czech Extraliga last year, where they lost to Liberec. Liberec didn't have any Swedish teams in their group this year, but last year they beat Linkoping HC by a wide margin in the Round of 32. Farjestad are one of Europe's most famous hockey clubs, but recent history hasn't been so kind to them – they haven't had much success in either the SHL or CHL in recent years, but have a young team and seem to be on the rise. Liberec are relative newcomers to the top tier of European hockey, but won their first national title last year. It should be an interesting series.
Closer look: Farjestad Karlstad
(3-0-1-0, 10 points, 16:5, 1st in Group O)
Group O was expected to be a battle between Farjestad and Sparta Prague for top spot, and that's in fact what it was. Farjestad opened with a 5-1 win over Cracovia in Krakow before heading to Prague. Farjestad trailed 1-0 after two periods, but scored twice in the third for a huge road victory. In the return match in Karlstad, Sparta led late, but Farjestad got a tying goal from Tim Stapleton in the last minute. Sparta won in overtime, but the point gained meant that Farjestad needed only a point in the last game against Cracovia to win the group. They got that easily with a 7-0 win. Now the hard part begins. In their first two years, Farjestad didn't get very far in the CHL. Now they are looking to break into the sweet 16 for the first time, but standing in their way are the Czech champions.
Per
Aslund
4+2, +3
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Growing up only a few kilometers from Karlstad, Per Aslund has been a loyal Farjestad player for almost a decade. He has the ability to get himself into good scoring position and also set his teammates up for scoring chances. Last season he tried his wings abroad for the first time in Germany with Kolner Haie, but has now returned to his roots. Aslund scored 6 points in the group stage and has been Farjestad's biggest offensive impact, but another player to watch out for is Milan Gulas. He only played in two out of four games in the group stage, but he's one of the team's top players and might be extra motivated to perform well in his home country.
Magnus
Nygren
1+1, even
Top Defenceman: Another Karlstad native is the captain Magnus Nygren. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2011 and was fighting for a spot among their solid defensive corps a few years ago, but an injury stopped his progress. He returned to Farjestad to get back on track and has been one of their most important players both on and off the ice ever since. He opened the goal-scoring for his team in this year's CHL and is always an offensive threat with his top-rate slap shot – especially on the power play. He won the Hardest Shot part of the 2014 AHL All-Star Skills Competition, setting a new record in the process.
Lars
Haugen
97.30 %
Top Goaltender: Farjestad is a popular team in Norway due to its geographical proximity. They also have a tradition of bringing Norwegian players in, and the latest addition is Lars Haugen. The national team goaltender, who has revealed that Farjestad was his favourite team as a child, came to Sweden from the KHL before last season. He is ranked 4th among goalies with a save percentage of 97.3 in this year's CHL so far, finishing the group stage with a shutout.
Click here for team statistics.
Closer look: Bili Tygri Liberec
(1-1-1-1, 6 points, 8:9, 2nd in Group H)
Following a strong Extraliga campaign which ended with the White Tigers claiming their first Czech championship title this spring, the team from northern Bohemia was looking to continue their supremacy in international club hockey. Last year, the team got to the Round of 16 where they lost out to HC Davos – this season the aim is surely higher. After the group stage, however, it remains unclear whether this squad has what it takes in comparison with international teams. They finished right in the middle of their group, taking five of six points against Lorenskog IK from Norway, but only one of six from TPS Turku of Finland. Now they play another Nordic club that will be more comparable to TPS than to Lorenskog, so they have their work cut out for them.
Vladimir
Svacina
3+1, +1
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Seasoned CHL warrior Vladimir Svacina may be a surprise Top Scorer for the team as he only joined the Tigers this off-season. Following the departure of the top offensive line of Michal Repik, Petr Vampola and current World Cup participant Michal Birner, the experienced right-winger has been the go-to goal scorer so far with three tallies in four games. The team has a good mix of talent up front, ranging from veteran Slovak Branko Radivojevic to Czech rookie of the year Dominik Lakatos.
Radim
Simek
1+2, even
Top Defenceman: It became clear about a year ago that a new star is budding under Mount Jested when Radim Simek started dominating the ice all night, every night. Later on he would play at the World Championship and gained recognition from several teammates as an NHL-calibre defenceman. The young blueliner has stayed humble despite his success and keeps on playing flawless hockey in the blue-and-white uniform. Another defenceman to watch for is veteran Martin Sevc – the veteran Czech national team d-man will be playing against one of his former teams in the Round of 32.
Jan
Lasak
90.38 %
Top Goaltender: Not many CHL goalies have a resume as impressive as that of Liberec starting goalie Jan Lasak. The Slovak has been to the NHL and accumulated numerous awards throughout his storied career, most notably the World Championship gold in 2002 with a country that had never won it before. This spring he added his second Extraliga championship ring and, while his back-up Roman Will is meant to contest his number-one position in the crease, it remains clear who is the top netminder for coach Filip Pesan.