Read below for more information on the Round of 16 series between SC Bern and JYP Jyvaskyla. Bern won on aggregate 6-5 to advance to the Quarter-Finals.
SCB 3–2 JYP
Game 1
1. 11., 19:45 CET
JYP 3–3 SCB
Game 2
8. 11., 19:00 EET
Preview
The Swiss champs from Bern go up against JYP Jyvaskyla in what might be one of the more evenly matched pairings in this Round of 16. SC Bern are currently 4th in the NLA standings. This is the first time they've made it this far in the CHL and haven't had much trouble to this point, but JYP will be their toughtest challenge yet. Their best finish in a European club championship was 4th in the 1991-92 European Cup. JYP have had a tougher time so far this season, as they have won three of six CHL games and sit 12th in the 15-team Liiga. They made it this far in the CHL two years ago but no farther – their biggest international accomplishment to date is winning the European Trophy in 2013.
Closer look: SC Bern
(5-0-1-0, 16 points, 24:9)
SC Bern did not make much of an impression in either of their first two CHL seasons, but coming off a domestic title win this past spring, they were looking for more this year and, so far they've done it. They began their group play with a pair of wins in Kosice and Linz by scores of 6-3 and 3-1 to take immediate control of their group. They didn't let up once they got home, beating the same two teams 3-1 and 5-0 at PostFinance Arena. They continued their hot streak in the Round of 32, winning 4-1 in Salzburg to take a 3-goal lead into the return game at home. There, a 3-3 tie in front of a CHL-record crowd was enough to put them through. Bern have been impressive in every aspect of their game in the CHL so far, but after dominating Slovak and Austrian opponents, they have a much tougher test from Finland coming up now.
Martin
Pluss
2+4, +4
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: SC Bern are ranked No. 2 in CHL goal scoring so far, and have received offence from a variety of sources. Leading the way are Martin Pluss and Marc Arcobello with 6 points each. Arcobello also leads domestically with 21 points in 16 NLA games, followed by Ryan Lasch – last season's CHL scoring champion wth Frolunda. Lasch missed this year's group stage, but had 3 points in the Round of 32 vs Salzburg. Simon Bodenmann and Andrew Ebbett were the team's offensive leaders in the group stage, but both have missed lots of time with injury. Bodenmann is now back but Ebbett remains out.
Eric
Blum
3+1, +1
Top Defenceman: Swiss international Eric Blum is once again the pillar for the Bern defence. With his intelligence and magnificent overview of the game, he had his best season offensively last year with 28 points (4+24) and was one of the team's key players in the championship run. The 30-year-old has also been one of the team’s best players so far this season, anchoring the team's stingy defence and chipping in a bit offensively as well. With a fit Blum in the lineup, SC Bern is much stronger.
Leonardo
Genoni
93.79 %
Top Goaltender: For 29-year-old Leonardo Genoni, this season is his first one in a Bern jersey. He came to the Swiss capital with a lot of accolades. A three-time Swiss Champion, the 2011 NLA MVP and two-time goalie of the year. With him, Bern bought some safe hands and legs in goal and he already showed his qualities in this young season. Hockey fans all over Europe saw what he is capable of last season when he backstopped HC Davos all the way to the CHL Semi-Finals. This season, he has played every minute of every CHL and NLA game for Bern so far, making him the clear No. 1 in front of Joel Aebi.
Click here for team statistics.
Closer look: JYP Jyvaskyla
(3-0-0-3, 9 points, 18:13)
JYP were right in the middle of a highly polarized Group K, winning both games against the Gap Rapaces from France but losing both against Linkoping HC from Sweden. Taking 6 points against Gap was expected, but taking nothing from the two games against Linkoping was a bit of a disappointment. Nonetheless, they regrouped in the Round of 32 and won a big game on home ice against another Swedish giant, Skelleftea, to take a 4-goal advantage up north. They lost by 2 in Skelleftea, but that was enough to advance forward. Up next they face SC Bern, the defending champs from Switzerland who have looked very impressive in the CHL so far, so JYP will have to bring their A-game if they want to return to the Quarter-Finals, where they last appeared in 2015.
Tuomas
Pihlman
1+4, +3
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Tuomas Pihlman is a JYP product since his youth and has played in Jyvaskyla most of his professional career – save for a four-year stint in the New Jersey Devils organization, which he spent mostly in the AHL. The 33-year-old winger is currently the team's top scorer in the CHL with 5 points in six games. In Liiga play, their points leader is another longtime JYP veteran Jani Tuppurainen, who has had built promising chemistry with Antti Suomela. As a team, JYP have impressive depth at forward as they acquired several players during the summer, including Juha-Pekka Hytonen and Ossi Louhivaara, and didn't lose any key contributors from their roster.
Mikko
Kalteva
3+1, +3
Top Defenceman: Mikko Kalteva can be considered what is called a late-bloomer. He had his true breakout year in the Finnish Liiga last year after nine years in the league. He had 29 points, which was easily his career-best and it was also the best among JYP defencemen last year. He is going to have to be at least as good as he was last year because JYP's defensive corps has become much younger this season. Judging by his start in both the CHL and Liiga, he is. Kalteva has an important role as a veteran presence for the younger defencemen on the team, such as U18 champion Urho Vaakanainen, who was added to the team during the summer.
Pekka
Tuokkola
93.85 %
Top Goaltender: JYP signed veteran goalie Pekka Tuokkola during the summer to form a goaltending duo with 19-year-old Veini Vehvilainen, the World Junior champion who was Tuomas Tarkki's backup last season. They shared the workload during the group stage, but Tuokkola played both games vs Skelleftea, and has played the majority of the games in Liiga. Tuokkola, now 33, has played most of his career in Finland, but has also had stints in the KHL and EBEL, and played in the CHL last season as a member of KAC Klagenfurt.