From 44 teams to two, the final of the 2014-15 Champions Hockey League sees the puck drop tonight, with two Swedish teams going head-to-head to be named the champions of Europe.
Lulea Hockey and Frolunda Gothenburg take to the ice in the Coop Norbotten Arena in Lulea tonight, with two of Swedishs best teams battling out for the CHL trophy.
Coming out of Group K, Lulea Hockey finished top of the group joint with Finnish side Lukko Rauma, finishing with 5 wins and 1 loss, including two huge wins over the Nottingham Panthers, with a 10 – 1 and 9 – 1 wins each.
Gothenburg also finished joint top of their group, topping Group C with 5 wins and a loss along with Swiss side Geneve-Servette, scoring 35 times and only conceding 13 points on their way through to the knockout stages.
It’s no surprise that either team has made it this far, with the Swedish Hockey League rivaling the KHL to be one of the top leagues in Europe.
Lulea come in as slight favourites, and with home-ice advantage they should put on a great performance tonight, led offensively by 20-year old Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Daniel Zaar, who has registered 14 points in the tournament so far, second overall with only Frolunda Gothenburg’s 29-year old forward Mathis Olimb who leads with way with 25 points.
Between the pipes both teams have solid goaltenders, Lulea have enjoyed success with 22-year old Joel Lassinantti while Gothenburg have relied on Linus Fernstrom during their run to the finals.
With faceoff at 8:15 Swedish time, the game will be available on ONE World Sports in the USA, while it will be viewed in up to 28 countries worldwide.
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