"We'll face one of the best Finnish teams, and we are looking forward to play the Round of 16 against them. We are aware that it won’t be easy but it’s a great challenge for us."Reto Kläy (Sport Manager, EV Zug)
EV Zug are one of four Swiss teams that made it into the Round of 16 - but they'll face the only Finnish team in the Playoffs in Tappara Tampere. The sides met in the Group Stage in 2015/16, where Tappara won both games.
EV Zug didn’t lose a game in regulation over the course of the Group Stage and topped Group B with 14 points. They had no problem winning games both home and away but struggled once the games went to overtime, losing both of their overtime games against HPK Hämeenlinna and HC Pilsen. New signing Erik Thorell has been the surprise of the season for the team – his two goals but most notably eight assists prove that he has quickly become one of the most valuable players on the team. But teammate Lino Martschini has also played an important role on the ice – not only has he scored four (combining with Erik Thorell more than once) but also assisted five himself.
Tappara are one of six teams that have participated in the Champions Hockey League and they have been quite successful in the Group Stage, advancing to the Playoffs each year. However, they’ve had a history of drawing tough opponents in the knockout rounds and have yet to advance past the Round of 16, so that will be their goal this year. Tappara got off to a tough start by losing their first two games on home ice, but responded with four straight wins, which occurred concurrent to their early-season dominance in the Finnish Liiga. It’s been scoring-by-committee for this young Tappara team, with 22-year-old goalie Christian Heljanko keeping the goals against down both in the CHL and Liiga.
"EV Zug had a tough group but they managed to win it. It proves that there are professionals both on the ice and behind the bench."Mikko Leionen (General Manager, Tappara Tampere)