“It’s hard to explain, the crowd and the entire atmosphere,” he started, “I think you just have to be here and take in everything.”

“We came out strong and played a tough game,” said Zaar, “our plan was to forecheck hard and force them into mistakes and that’s what we did.”

Rögle Ängelholm scored just minutes into the game thanks to a rapid-fire goal from Zaar. The 27-year-old Swede added goal #2 in the second period before Tappara Tampere opened their scoring for the night in the final frame.

Luckily for Rögle, the Finns were unable to break down Rögle’s strong defence again as the biggest game of the 2021/22 season ended in Rögle’s favour.

Yet the forward modestly shakes off his massive impact on the result.

“Today it didn’t matter who scored the goals, we just wanted to get the job done,” he said.

Zaar, who played his first CHL game for Rögle on Tuesday, was also awarded the best player of the game award for his massive contribution – does he think this was his best game of his career?

“It’s hard to say,” he started his answear, “I think I played well today and the whole team played well.”

“I’m just happy and looking forward to the celebration now, it’s going to be really fun.”

The atmosphere in the sold-out Catena Arena was electric. Fans chanted, sang and pushed Rögle on as the Swedes claimed their first piece of international silverware.

“They’re like an extra player out there,” said Zaar, “we had tough periods in the game, but the crowd helped us a lot.”

Rögle, the newly crowned champions of Europe, are poised for a top place finish in the SHL this season. They currently sit in second position behind Skellefteå AIK, but not even a single point divides them.

Could winning the European Trophy give them a boost in their domestic season?

“Yeah, it’s going to help us throughout the year,” concluded Zaar.