The Catena Arena was abuzz as a sold-out crowd packed the venue to watch Rögle Ängelholm and Tappara Tampere battle it out for the European Trophy in the 2021/22 Champions Hockey League Final. Daniel Zaar scored in the first and again in the second to lift his club to their first CHL Championship.

The first save of the game came just 26 seconds into the match-up with the first goal being scored just three minutes in as Rögle made the most of their homestand to take the lead.

A smooth zone entry allowed Anton Bengtsson to wrist a shot on net where Christian Heljanko made the initial save, but Zaar was there to pounce on a juicy rebound, netting his first of the competition in his return to European hockey and give the home side some early energy.

Quality scoring chances were had on both sides as play picked up in the opening stanza forcing Heljanko and his Swedish counterpart Christoffer Rifalk to make key saves as the battle for the European Trophy continued.

Late in the period, with a little over a minute to go, it was Waltteri Merelä’s goal to score with a chance in tight to knot the game, but the puck fluttered wide and with 20 minutes gone, Rögle remained ahead by one.

Bodies and blades continued to collide as play got underway in the second.

Eight minutes in, Tappara flirted with fire as Kristian Tanus was called for a hooking penalty sending Rögle on the powerplay. The Swedes executed the extra attacker to perfection as Zaar notched his second of the game when the puck found its to way to him and then the back of the net, giving the hosts a two-goal cushion.

Heljanko made a desperation save in the dying minutes of the second to keep the gap at two goals as Rögle left for the locker room 20 minutes away from claiming their first piece of CHL hardware.

Despite the uphill battle before them, Tappara didn't wane in their efforts to claw their way back into the game as the puck dropped for the third.

After failing to convert in the first, Merelä would have his chance again as a great entry pass from Anton Levtchi sprang him into offensive zone where he sniped one from the slot to cut Rögle's lead in half at 44:23.

A powerplay for the visitors kept the crowd on their feet, but Rögle's penalty kill was up to the task, maintaining their lead as the period reached the midway mark. Following the kill, Dennis Everberg left the box with a chance to extend his team's lead as he skated in alone against Heljanko, but his backhand rang off the post.

In a last ditch effort, the Finns pulled their netminder in favour of the extra skater with less than a minute to go. Rögle, however, had no thoughts of giving up the lead and with the clock winding down the cheers grew from loud to deafening as the team from Ängelholm became the third Swedish club to lift the European Trophy with a 2-1 victory over Tappara.