The hockey players of Geneva beat Sweden’s Skelleftea 3:2 in the Champions League playoff final and dominated the international competition for the first time in history.
The reigning Swiss champion prevailed twice in power plays at the sold-out Patinoire des Vernets arena. The final was directed by a pair of Czech line judges Josef Špůr and Jiří Svoboda.
Swedish teams won six of the eight years of the LM, but Skelleftea was unable to follow Lulea, Frölund and Rögle. The Northerners responded to Geneva’s first goal, but in the second period the Servette players built up a two-goal lead, which AIK could only reduce.
Vítkovice was the most successful of the three Czech teams that appeared in the current edition of the Champions League. Ostrava advanced to the semi-finals, where they lost to Skelleftea. However, Vítkovic captain Dominik Lakatoš became the most productive player of the competition and the best scorer.
Hockey Champions League play-off final:
Servette Ženeva – Skelleftea AIK 3:2 (3:1, 0:0, 0:1)
Branky: 6. Berthon, 18. Manninen, 19. Winnik – 12. Dzierkals, 49. Heikkenen.
Hockey Champions League winners overview: 2015 – HF Lulea (Sweden), 2016 – HC Frölunda (Sweden), 2017 – HC Frölunda (Sweden), 2018 – JYP Jyväskylä (Finland), 2019 – HC Frölunda (Sweden), 2020 – HC Frölunda (Sweden), 2022 – Rögle BK (Sweden), 2023 – Tappara Tampere (Finland), 2024 – Servette Geneva (Switzerland).
2024-02-20 21:19:29
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