- It's a first-time faceoff between these two teams
- 24th-ranked Košice are unable to qualify for Playoffs
- Adler Mannheim have qualified for the Playoffs
HC Košice Head Coach Dan Ceman was open about the challenge his side faced in competing in Europe’s top flight: “We understand that to win games we need to play extremely high level, disciplined hockey. To do this, we’ll need to play outstanding defensively. If we do that and keep games tight, we give ourselves a chance to win against anyone.”
As the last ranked team in the Champions Hockey League Regular Season Standings, Košice have had a tough run with five straight losses, two of those being by a single goal. That aside, the team post one of the best penalty kills in the league, with a 93.73% effectiveness. Despite this game being the end of the CHL journey for the Slovak side, they can be proud of competitive performances against highly experienced teams, including Red Bull Munich and Skellefteå.
The final game for Košice will see them line up against German rivals Ader Mannheim who have already qualified for the CHL Playoffs. “Mannheim are perennially a top team in the DEL and will be a huge challenge. I have no question they will be a big, strong team with a good balance of skill and physicality,” said Ceman.
Mannheim have posted an almost-perfect start to their CHL season. Five wins and a single loss in OT make them one of the best teams in the 2023/24 season bar the Växjö Lakers.
David Wolf, Jordan Murray, and Linden Vey have been reliable contributors netting five points over five games each, while netminders Arno Tiefensee, and Felix Brückmann have split games in net. Allowing just two goals over three games, 33-year-old Brückman is currently third-ranked among goalkeepers with a save percentage of 96.15%.
Mannheim are currently the top-ranked team for penalty killing (95.83%), in addition to being the stingiest, allowing just 1.60 goals on average per game. Powerplay conversions have been tougher for the Germans who have managed just 12% (the top are Vitkovice Ridera with 31.82%).
Head coach Johan Lundskog has embraced the diversity within the Regular Season schedule: “One of the best things about playing in the CHL is the possibility to travel around and see different styles of play and leagues, experience different cultures.vKošice are the Slovak champions and a proud hockey club. It’s going to be a great and exciting challenge for us to play against them.”
With nothing to lose and multiple close games on the cusp of victory, can HC Košice exit with a win at home in the Steel aréna, or will Mannheim continue their dominance?