With nine new clubs joining the Champions Hockey League this year, it was almost inevitable that some would clash in the Group Stage and that’s exactly what’s happening on Thursday night as EHC Biel-Bienne of Switzerland, take on Norwegian side Frisk Asker.

Biel have the honour of beginning their journey on home ice at the Tissot Arena and will be hoping to get off to a good start after a mixed pre-season campaign. With some tough warm up tests against fellow CHL teams like SC Bern and Adler Mannheim as two of their four opponents, the Swiss side picked up two wins and two losses ahead of their opening game. With veteran netminder Jonas Hiller between the pipes and the likes of team captain Mathieu Tschantré providing veteran leadership up front, Biel will be hoping for the strongest possible start against their opponents from Norway.

The visitors also come in having split wins and losses in pre-season, picking up a win in their first game and a narrow defeat in their second. With Frisk Asker joining the CHL for their first ever season, after having come tantalisingly close to qualifying over the past three seasons, they’ll hope to rely on their homegrown talent with the likes of captain Anders Bastiansen, who is among the teams all-time appearance and points leaders, while some of their import talent including long term goalie Nicklas Dahlberg of Sweden will look to start strong in their bid to become the third team from Norway to make it out of the Group Stage, joining Storhamar Hamar who have done it twice, as well as Stavanger Oilers who did it in the 2015/16 Champions Hockey League season.