With the 3:1 victory in Ljubljana, the Zug team secured first place in Group B of the Champions Hockey League.
“We don’t want to do the math, we want to secure the group win with our 5th victory,” Reto Kläy made the objective clear before the second-last group game in the Slovenian capital. The team implemented the sporting director’s instructions and took the necessary three points with a disciplined performance.
Dario Simion with an impressive solo and Brian O’Neill with a fast counterattack took the wind out of Olimpija Ljubljana’s sails already in the first period. The last team in the table created some chances with their fast and easy play, but they had no chance to win against the leader without Peter Cehlárik and with Luca Hollenstein in goal. At the latest with the second goal of O’Neill to 3:0 in the 33rd minute the last spark of hope for a surprise was extinguished. It was a pity that Luca Hollenstein was not rewarded for his strong performance with a shutout.
In the second leg next Wednesday in Zug (7:45 p.m.), it’s all about a spotless record and points for the Nations Cup. With a 4-1 win in Turku, the Grizzlies Wolfsburg secured second place in the group and a spot in the knockout phase.
EVZ Head Coach Dan Tangnes spoke of a successful evening: “I’m proud that we got the fifth win and the group victory. It was not easy to find focus in an empty stadium after qualifying for the round of 16. But we showed that we are the better team.”
Olimpija Ljubljana – EVZ 3:1 (0:2, 0:1, 1:0). Hala Tivoli, 1’576 Zuschauer. – Tore: 8. Simion 0:1. 20. O’Neill 0:2. 33. O’Neill 0:3. 50. Cimzar 1:3.
The CHL Group B at a glance
Game Day 1: Grizzlys Wolfsburg-EVZ 2:5, TPS Turku-Olimpija Ljubljana 3:2.
Game Day 2: TPS Turku-EVZ 0:4, Grizzlys Wolfsburg-Olimpija Ljubljana 7:2.
Game Day 3: EVZ-Grizzlys Wolfsburg 4:3 n.V., Olimpija Ljubljana-TPS Turku 2:4.
Game Day 4: EVZ-TPS Turku 6:1, Olimpija Ljubljana-Grizzlys Wolfsburg 0:4.
Game Day 5: Olimpija Ljubljana-EVZ 1:3, TPS Turku-Grizzlys Wolfsburg 1:4.
Intermediate ranking:
1. EVZ 5/14 (22:7)
2. Grizzlys Wolfsburg 5/10 (20:12)
3. TPS Turku 5/6 (9:18)
4. Olimpija Ljubljana 5/0 (7:21)
