Read below for more information on the Round of 32 series between Fribourg-Gotteron and HC Kosice. Fribourg won 5-2 to advance to the Round of 16.
Preview
Of the six Swiss teams in this year's CHL, five came out group winners, including Fribourg-Gotteron. They won three out of four games, while HC Kosice lost three out of four. Offensively, these two teams might be quite comparable, but Friboug's defence appears to be stingier. Fribourg enter this home-and-home series as clear favourites, but Kosice put up a good fight in this round last year against Skelleftea, so they definitely can't be taken lightly.
Closer look: Fribourg-Gotteron
(3-0-0-1, 9 points, 12:6, 1st in Group F)
Group F winners Fribourg-Gotteron started with two home games and scored a pair of three-goal wins, first shutting out Red Bull Munich 3-0 and then beating Orli Znojmo 5-2. After winning in Znojmo 3-1, they lost their final game by the same score in Munich – however, that result assured them top spot in the group. After that game, Munich could do no better than tie them in points, and they had outscored them on aggregate by one goal. Like all Swiss teams, Fribourg looked very strong in the group stage. Now they face a new challenge in Kosice, as they've never faced a Slovak club in the CHL.
Roman
Cervenka
3+1, +3
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Roman Cervenka joined Fribourg-Gottéron in the summer of 2016. The czech forward has easily found his role within the Swiss club and scored right from the beginning – as he did before in other leagues he has played in. The 30-year-old centre is not only appreciated in Fribourg, but also worldwide for his quality. Maybe that's why Cervenka is the only player selected for the World Cup of Hockey that is not currently playing in the NHL or KHL. Because of his participation in the big tournament with the Czech national team, he will also miss some games in the Swiss NLA. But Fribourg's will be back at the beginning of October and try to continue the CHL journey with his team, when they play Kosice in the Round of 32.
Yannick
Rathgeb
0+3, +4
Top Defenceman: Even though he is still very young, Yannick Rathgeb made a big impression to the fans and the coaches during his first complete NLA season in 2015-16. The 20-year-old Swiss rearguard was even invited for the Prospect Camp of the Chicago Blackhawks this summer. In this year's CHL campaign, Rathgeb also showed his qualities, which are not only defensive ones. The defender also assisted on 3 goals in the group stage and stands on a very positive +4 rating after four group-stage games. General Manager Christian Dube knows how important the young player can be for his team and announced that he will try to resign Rathgeb to a new contract – even though interest from other clubs will certainly be big.
Benjamin
Conz
95.1%
Top Goaltender: In front of the Fribourg net, Benjamin Conz showed really strong performances during the group stage. The number-one goaltender faced 102 shots and only allowed 5 goals, which corresponds to an impressive save percentage of 95.1. Especially in the opening game against Red Bull Munich, the 25-year-old netminder was very important – his shutout was the base for a good start in this year's campaign. The Dragons will count on their goalie even more in the CHL playoffs and Conz will ceratinly be ready to give his team a chance to advance to the next round.
Closer look: HC Kosice
(1-0-0-3, 3 points, 10:15, 2nd in Group M)
Last year's regular season winners from Slovakia lost three of four games in the group stage, but they are proceeding to the elimination stage. Kosice started the new campaign of the Champions Hockey League with two home losses, 6-3 to Bern and 3-2 to Linz. After that, they took three important points from Austrian ice when they came back from 0-3 down to 4-3 – had they not taken three points, they would have been eliminated. It tied Kosice and Linz in points and head-to-head goals, but assured Kosice would win the tie-breaker with a higher score in their victory. In the last game of Group M, which was meaningless to the standings, Bern defeated Kosice 3-1 at home. As Bern was quite a tough test for Kosice, they have their work cut out for them in Fribourg.
Marek
Bartanus
2+1, +1
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Marek Bartanus scored two very significant goals in Linz. Kosice was losing 3-0 in the second period but, after bad start, the 29-year-old winger scored his team's first goal late in the second period and then, late in the third, he scored again and secured a 4-3 win for Slovakian club. Last season, Bartanus was the team captain and represented Slovakia at the World Championship in Russia.
Eduard
Sedivy
1+1, +1
Top Defenceman: Eduard Sedivy is playing just his second season in Kosice, but he is already an important part of the team. The talented D-man showed it in the group stage when he was most productive blueliner offensively, and he is known for his good shot from the point. He recorded two points in Linz, where assisted on the first goal and scored tying goal to make it 3-3. In other games, he played solid defence and and provided good support for attackers.
Vladislav
Habal
91.00%
Top Goaltender: Miroslav Kopriva conceded six goals in Kosice's first home game against Bern, and that was the chance for Vladislav Habal to show what he could do. The Czech goalie took the opportunity and was very reliable in the next three games. Habal spent 179 minutes in Kosice’s net with a good save percentage of 91. For the 25-year-old, it was his debut in the Champions Hockey League.
Click here for team statistics.