Champions Hockey League groups

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The groups for the inaugural 2008-2009 Champions Hockey League have been drawn at the IIHF headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, on April 25. Reigning European club champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk from Russia will face Kärpät Oulu and Eisbären Berlin.

“For us, this is the start of a new era in European ice hockey,” IIHF President René Fasel said. 11 teams and the qualifier were drawn into four groups consisting of three teams each.

Group A: Kärpät Oulu (Finland), Eisbären Berlin (Germany), Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia).

Group B: HV71 Jönköping (Sweden), Espoo Blues (Finland), SC Bern (Switzerland, qualifier).

Group C: Salavat Yulayev Ufa (Russia), Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia), Mountfield Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic).

Group D: Slavia Prague (Czech Republic), ZSC Lions Zurich (Switzerland), Linköpings HC (Sweden).

“Metallurg Magnitogorsk is maybe one of the best teams in the world and we wanted to play them in the 2008 European Champions Cup final, which we unfortunately missed,” Juha Junno of Kärpät Oulu said after the draw. “Now we have the chance to play them in the Champions Hockey League. It will be a strong group.”

“I was also involved in the European Hockey League ten years ago and it will be again a good opportunity for the players to play the Champions Hockey League,” Sean Simpson, the new head coach of the ZSC Lions, said.

Qualification: The 12th team was determined by a qualifier tournament with HC Kosice (Slovakia), SC Bern (Switzerland) and the Sinupret Ice Tigers Nuremberg (Germany), September 12-14, 2008, in Nuremberg, Germany, which was won by SC Bern.

Schedule: (all starting times below are listed CET)

Qualification

 

 

Date

September 12, 2008

Sinupret Ice Tigers

SC Bern

19:30

September 13, 2008

SC Bern

HC Kosice

18:30

September 14, 2008

HC Kosice

Sinupret Ice Tigers

18:30

 

 

 

Group A

 

 

Date

Home

Away

October 8, 2008

Eisbären Berlin

Kärpät Oulu

19:30

October 22, 2008

Kärpät Oulu

Metallurg Mag.

19:30

October 29, 2008

Metallurg Mag.

Eisbären Berlin

16:00

November 12, 2008

Kärpät Oulu

Eisbären Berlin

19:30

November 19, 2008

Metallurg Mag.

Kärpät Oulu

16:00

December 3, 2008

Eisbären Berlin

Metallurg Mag.

19:30

 

 

 

Group B

 

 

Date

Home

Away

October 8, 2008

HV71 Jönköping

SC Bern

19:30

October 22, 2008

SC Bern

Espoo Blues

19:30

October 29, 2008

Espoo Blues

HV71 Jönköping

19:30

November 12, 2008

SC Bern

HV71 Jönköping

19:30

November 19, 2008

Espoo Blues

SC Bern

19:30

December 3, 2008

HV71 Jönköping

Espoo Blues

19:30

 

 

 

Group C

 

 

Date

Home

Away

October 8, 2008

Salavat Yulayev Ufa

Ceske Budejovice

16:00

October 22, 2008

Ceske Budejovice

Slovan Bratislava

19:30

October 29, 2008

Slovan Bratislava

Salavat Yulayev Ufa

19:30

November 12, 2008

Ceske Budejovice

Salavat Yulayev Ufa

19:30

November 19, 2008

Slovan Bratislava

Ceske Budejovice

19:30

December 3, 2008

Salavat Yulayev Ufa

Slovan Bratislava

16:00

 

 

 

Group D

 

 

Date

Home

Away

October 8, 2008

Slavia Prague

Linköpings HC

19:30

October 22, 2008

Linköpings HC

ZSC Lions Zurich

19:30

October 29, 2008

ZSC Lions Zurich

Slavia Prague

19:30

November 12, 2008

Linköpings HC

Slavia Prague

19:30

November 19, 2008

ZSC Lions Zurich

Linköpings HC

19:30

December 3, 2008

Slavia Prague

ZSC Lions Zurich

19:30

Tie-break format:

Three points are awarded for a win and no points for a loss. No game shall end in a tie.

Should a game be tied after regular time, a game winning shot competition (“shootout”) is staged to determine the winner. There will be no additional overtime period. Each team is to be awarded with one point for the draw. The winner of the shoot-out will be awarded with one extra point.

Each team must select three different shooters to compete in the game winning shot competition. If the game is still tied after three shots by each team, the GWS will continue with a tie-break shootout by one player of each team, with a reversed shooting order. The same or new players can take the tie-break shots. The same player can also be used for each shot by a team in the tie-break. Only the decisive goal will count in the result of the game.

Playoff format:

The semi-finals and finals will be played on a best-of-two basis with each club playing each opponent twice (home and away). The club with the most points in each semi-final pairing shall advance to the finals. Where at the end of the 2nd game of the semi-finals or finals both teams are equal on points, a shoot-out will determine who proceeds to the finals or wins the Champions Hockey League. There's no shoot-out after the first game, which can end in a tie.

Semi-final draw: Winner Group D vs. Winner Group B, Winner Group A vs. Winner Group C. Note: Any two clubs from the same country will be paired together for the semi-finals. Home ice advantage of the second game goes to the team with the better records in the group stage. The semi-final games will be played on December 10, 2008, and Januar 7, 2009.

The final games will be played on Januar 21 and 28, 2009. Home ice advantage of the second game goes to the team with the better records in the group stage.

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