Plzeň and Liberec reach Champions Hockey League playoffs

Škoda Plzeň beat Finland’s SaiPa 6-3 in Lappeenranta to win all six games of the Champions Hockey League group stage. Liberec won in Davos and also advanced to the last 16. That puts three Czech clubs into the playoffs, and their opponents are now known.

Plzeň win all six games

“An excellent result – six wins in six games. But this is only the first phase of the tournament, roughly halfway. Just like in the Extraliga after the regular season, the playoffs come next, so we’ll see what happens. We definitely have something to build on,” Plzeň coach Jiří Weber told the club’s website. He added that the team gained experience against a range of opponents, including two strong Swedish clubs and Finland’s SaiPa.

Plzeň opened the scoring in the 14th minute: shorthanded, Sedláček broke away on a quick counterattack and finished a solo run accurately. The hosts equalized early in the second period, when Hökkänen calmly slid the puck into an empty net. But in the 25th minute Sedláček scored his second goal on the power play. In the 37th minute SaiPa pulled one back on the power play: Naukkarinen lost the puck under goalkeeper Růžička’s foot.

Before the end of the period Plzeň went ahead again: Lev wrapped around the net and sent the puck at goalkeeper Piironen, who put it over the line himself. In the 41st minute 20-year-old Žemlička converted a pass from Mereżko. “I scored my first goal for Plzeň, and against a team I used to play for. That makes it doubly valuable for me,” Žemlička told the club’s website. He spent three years with SaiPa and knew its style well.

In the 46th minute 18-year-old Fodor scored his first goal for the senior team. Friedrich cut the deficit, but Mikko Petman hit an empty net to seal the 6-3 win. The game drew 4,048 spectators.

Liberec hold on to a two-goal lead

Liberec took the lead in Davos after just 135 seconds: Vlach fired a hard shot and the hosts’ goalkeeper Eschlimann did not react. Fifteen seconds into the second period Galvas entered the zone and hit the corner of the net. After that Liberec defended solidly, and goalkeeper Hamalčík bailed the team out in the 39th minute against Zadin, among other saves. The two-goal advantage lasted until the final buzzer.

Who the Czech clubs will face

In the last 16 Plzeň will meet Davos, Pardubice will face SaiPa, and Liberec will play a team from Cologne, Germany. The playoffs start on November 10 and 11, with the second legs a week later.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz