After the impressive 5:1 home victory in the Round of 16 second leg against Red Bull München, the EVZ is in the last eight of the European club competition for the second time after 2019/20
After the 5:1 victory eight days earlier in Munich, the Swiss champions beat the German vice-champion and league leader with the same result. The guests’ hopes of an ice hockey miracle vanished into thin air when Grégory Hofmann scored 1:0 after only 49 seconds. And at the latest when Dario Allenspach answered the interim 1:1 equaliser (12th minute) at the beginning of the second period with another leading goal (2:1, 24th minute), the first signs of resignation spread among the opponents. The unfavourable course of the game and above all the speed of Zug prevented last year’s CHL semi-finalists from showing their North American-influenced physical play.
“Yes, the total score of 10:2 against a top team in Europe is quite a statement,” Dan Tangnes was happy about the eighth win in the eighth CHL appearance in the current campaign. However, the EVZ Head Coach did not want to overstate the magnitude of the result: “In the 1:6 home defeat a year ago, everything went against us, this time it was the other way round.”
In the quarter-finals, Zug will face top Czech club Mountfield from the university town of Hradec Králové, 115 kilometres by car from Prague, as they did in the 2019/20 competition. On that occasion, EVZ missed out on a hoped-for place in the semi-finals with a 4-0 home defeat after a 1-1 draw in the Czech Republic. In this year’s round of 16, Mountfield came back from a 4-3 away defeat to top Swedish club Färjestad with a 4-2 home win after extra time. Dan Tangnes is bracing himself for a tough task: “Whoever beats Frölunda Gothenburg in the group stage and knocks out Färjestad in the knockout round will be among the top teams in Europe – we have to be ready!”
The first leg will take place on Wednesday, 7th of December in the Czech Republic, the second leg on Tuesday, 13th of December at BOSSARD Arena.
EVZ-Red Bull München 5:1 (1:0, 3:1, 1:0)
BOSSARD Arena, 4497 spectators. goals: 1. Hofmann 1:0. 12. Smith 1:1. 24. Allenspach 2:1. 30. Herzog 3:1. 34. Kreis 4:1. 47. Zehnder 5:1.
Round of 16, second leg:
EVZ-Red Bull München 5:1 (first leg 5:1)
Mountfield-Färjestad Karlstad 4:2 n.V. (3:4)
Tappara Tampere-Davos 2:2 (1:0)
Rögle-Red Bull Salzburg 5:1 (1:3)
Lulea-Grizzlys Wolfsburg 2:1 (3:2)
Straubing Tigers-Frölunda Göteborg 2:3 (0:4)
Fribourg-Gottéron-Mikkelin Jukkurit 1:2 n.V. (1:1)
ZSC Lions-Skelleftea 1:4 (4:5)
