Tappara Tampere were very successful in the Group Stage of the 2022/23 season of the Champions Hockey League – they outplayed Red Bull Munich, the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers and Slovan Bratislava only losing once in OT and finished top of Group C with 15 points from six games.
Defenceman Ben Thomas is happy about where his team are now, reinforced by the fact that the Finns have also been doing well domestically in the past weeks.
“I think we have been heading in the right direction lately,” started Thomas, “we have had a few wins in a row now, so I think we are feeling that confidence again. We have been through some tough patches already, but I think every team goes through patches like that. Maybe it is a good thing for us that we went through it early in the season and faced a little bit of adversity.”
Tappara have been known to develop their game throughout the season which helps them end up in a good position when the medals are awarded.
“We are learning as a group and figuring out our game. I guess that when you go through tough times like this, you realise what you need to do. We are riding a bit of an up-swing and feeling confident,” said Thomas.
The 26-year-old is playing in his second season in Europe, his first with Tappara, after spending last season in Sweden playing for two different SHL teams. His time in Tappara has been rewarding, yet something to grow in to.
I am settling in more and more and getting confident with the style of the gameTappara Tampere's Ben Thomas
“I think there was a bit of a learning curve at the beginning of the season just being in a new country and a new team. Pretty much everything was new, and it took some time to get used to,” he said, “I am settling in more and more and getting confident with the style of the game.”
The style of game is different between Sweden’s SHL and Finland’s Liiga – even though the two countries are so close to each other, the hockey cultures vary.
“Being in Sweden helped me in terms of being away from home and in a new place. It was a good experience for me so this season I knew a bit more about what living in Europe would be like. That made things easier for me,” thinks Thomas.
“The styles of playing are a little bit different - I don’t think playing in the SHL last season is totally comparable to playing in Liiga this season,” he said comparing the two leagues.
Going into the CHL Playoffs, the Tappara players are feeling confident about the team and themselves. A little change of scenery will be refreshing in the middle of a hectic season.
“We have been pretty good, so I think we have been able to play well so far. It is exciting to go play against other teams in different countries and see different places,” mentions Thomas.
“Sometimes travelling can be tough but it is fun to go to different places and I enjoy being on the road with the team – I like travelling!”
Tappara reached the CHL Final last season but ended up losing the tight game against Swedes Rögle Ängelholm – what are they aiming for this season?
“We will see what happens,” said Thomas, “we will just keep on going!”