Frolunda try to repeat, Sparta seek road upset

Frolunda Gothenburg and Sparta Prague are two of the most recognizable names in European hockey right now. While Sparta is the bigger name with respect to history, in recent years Frolunda have dominated European club hockey. This is their third straight trip to the CHL Final – they won last year, and now want a second straight title. Sparta will be out to stop them and win their first European club title, after previously losing in title games in 2000 and 2008.

These teams have met previously in a European championship – in the bronze medal game of the European Hockey League in 1996-97, Frolunda beat Sparta 4-3. The only player on either roster in this game is Sparta captain Jaroslav Hlinka.

Both of these teams have demonstrated that they can play both offensively and defensively – alloing about 1.5 goals against over the course of the competition, and scoring at least 3 (or in Frlunda's case, nearly 4). This game could get decided by special teams, as both teams are dangerous on the power play and will therefore both want to avoid taking penalties.

“I don't know Frolunda specifically, but I expect the Swedish style, which is five players fore-checking and back-checking, playing compact, strong, straightforward hockey,” said Sparta top scorer Lukas Pech. “I'm sure we can expect a tough game. They've been to the Final twice and won it last year. In terms of being the top team in Europe, we want to be one step better.” 

After playing the last two Finals on the road, Frolunda play this one at home, where they are very tough to beat, both in the CHL and SHL. If playing the Final at home makes Frolunda favourites, however, it's only by a slight margin. Sparta have been remarkably successful on the road in the CHL, where they have not lost yet. That includes three wins in Sweden already. Add that to the fact that Sparta have been hot domestically as of late, with Frolunda sputtering somewhat. 

“It’s a big game, a big title, and we’re really excited for the game. We’ll focus on our own game, but they have a little bit more of an experienced team than we do. Sparta are a skilled team and you look at who they’ve beaten to get here and can see that they're are a very tough team,” admitted Frolunda captain and top scorer Joel Lundqvist. “We’re prepared for a very difficult game. When it’s packed in this rink, it’s loud, so it’s going to be a good atmosphere and a good night for hockey, hopefully.”

Domestically, Frolunda started off on fire but have cooled off as of late. They have only won two of their last seven games, including two losses to the Vaxjo Lakers, who have now passed them atop the SHL standings.

Mirroring their CHL season, Sparta started slowly but are now hot. They've won nine of their last 12 games, including wins against the top two teams in the league – Bili Tygri Liberec and Ocelari Trinec. They sit in third place and have their sights on climbing higher.

Right now, however, the domestic leagues take a back seat to the CHL Final.

“We’ve been thoroughly preparing for the Final for about four weeks. We know we have to play better than in some of our recent games. We know Sparta – they have a very strong and experienced team, but we have to be on top of our game first and foremost,” said Frolunda coach Roger Ronnberg. About Sparta he said, “That team is a bit older on average, so more experienced. We enjoy playing in the CHL, it’s an hour and fun at the same time to travel across Europe playing different teams. It’s a very important competition to us.”

Opposite number Jiri Kalous added that he's done some research on his opponents.“I watched Frolunda’s league game last Thursday and they’re a strong skating team. They’re very active with the puck all over the ice, they don’t give up on anything and they’re very fast in transitional play,” said the 52-year old. “It’s no wonder that they’re top of the SHL, but we have to focus on our game and see what they come up with – if they continue to play the way expect, or it becomes more tactical. If our players stick to our game plan, however, there’s always a chance. We’ve proven this against very good teams already in this year’s CHL.”

Find a breakdown of the two teams here.