Read below for more information on the Round of 32 series between Karpat Oulu and Dusseldorfer EG. Karpat won 5–0 on aggregate to advance to the Round of 16.

Game 2

Karpat exploded out of the gate on home ice, scoring twice in the first 5:02, then getting a third goal on a five-minute power play late in the opening period to give them a five-goal aggregate lead. With the stingy defence, that was more than enough, as Sami Aittokallio stopped all 22 shots he faced to record his fifth shutout in six CHL games. With their spot in the next round easily in hand, Karpat didn't press much over the last 40 minutes, but rather protected the lead they had.

“I don’t think we were ready for this game in the first 10 minutes,” admitted Dusseldorf coach Christof Kreutzer. “We made little mistakes and Oulu is a kind of team that if you make a mistake against them, it’s 1–0. I think we got better in the game in the last 40 minutes. We worked hard for this, we played better defence. Karpat have a great goalie. Not just today but every game. I wish them good luck next round and I think they have a good chance to win the championship this year.”

“It feels great,” Karpat coach Lauri Marjamaki happily replied when asked how it feels to advance to the Round of 16. “We have taken this tournament seriously and we prepared ourselves really well for this game. We started with a good drive and got a 3–0 lead and eventually those goals made the difference. We are happy – 6 games and 1 goal against. We have gotten good results against Europe.”

GAME HIGHLIGHTS | LIVE BLOG & STATS

Game 1

Karpat Oulu continued their dominance of their CHL opponents so far this season with their fifth straight regulation victory and their fourth shutout – they have allowed only 1 goal so far. Sebastian Aho scored in the 15th minute, then Esa Pirnes on the power play in the first minute of the second, and that was more than enough offence for Sami Aittokallio, who now has a miniscule goal-against average of 0.20 and an eye-popping save percentage of 99.11.

“Of course we are satisfied with a 2–0 win but we were not playing as I expected,” said Karpat coach Lauri Marjamaki, who clearly has high standards for his team. “We took too many penalties but our special teams were strong. Dusseldorf were dangerous on the power play, but thanks to our goalie they didn’t score. In two weeks we have to play better.”

“We played a very good game,” figured Dusseldorf coach Christof Kreutzer. “Only a few shots against us. Our penalty killing was good as well. We had no luck on offence tonight. We played against a very tough defence and the rest was caught by a great goaltender. My team made only two big mistakes and those lead to the goals. We still have a chance in two weeks to win.”

Dusseldorf defenceman Stephan Daschner echoed his coach's confidence level, stating, “We won't give up. We can walk with heads held high. It was a tough game against the national champion of Finland. Two goals is not insurmountable in hockey so no worries.”

GAME HIGHLIGHTS | LIVE BLOG & STATS

Preview

This Round of 32 clash sees Karpat Oulu, the CHL’s best defence, face off against Dusseldorfer EG, who conceded the second-most goals of any playoff team. Karpat, Liiga champions two seasons in a row, were one of just four teams to gain a perfect 12 points from the group stage, and they looked mightily impressive doing it, conceding just one goal in four games. Goaltender Sami Aitokallio finished the round robin stage with three shutouts, a 0.25 goals-against average and a 98.9 save percentage. Dusseldorfer EG had a much trickier time in Group G against TPS Turku and Black Wings Linz. A crucial victory in Game Day 5 secured qualification for the side from Nordrhein-Westphalia, who were making their CHL debut this season. 

It is a struggle to find enough superlatives to describe Karpat’s group stage performance, and especially that of goaltender Sami Aitokallio. Group J offered a pair of potential banana skins in the Vienna Capitals and Krefeld Pinguine, but Karpat made it look easy. The Liiga champions opened up their 2015–16 CHL campaign with their two road games, the first in Krefeld. The Pinguine put up a stern test, but Aitokallio made 32 saves for the shutout in a 2–0 victory. Two days later in the Austrian capital, Karpat scored twice in the opening period to take the game away from the Vienna Capitals, Aitokallio making 18 saves in another 2–0 win. Aitokallio’s shutout streak lasted 125:11 minutes, as he was finally beaten on Game Day 3 by Krefeld’s Daniel Pietta, but that would be the only joy the German team would get, as Karpat outclassed the Pinguine on their way to a 4–1 victory. Qualification and top spot in Group J was secure going into Karpat’s final game against the Capitals, but in front of 5,673 fans, Sami Aitokallio recorded his third shutout whilst Karpat’s forwards never let up, scoring four goals once again as the Austrian side were defeated 4–0.

Miko

Pyorala

3+1, +3

 

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Mika Pyorala is often referred as a dream player for every coach. His work ethic is very high in every game, he plays smart, he skates well and has good positoning at both ends of the ice. The latest example of his puck handling trickery can be found from the 2–0 goal against the Vienna Capitals in the last game of the group stage. Pyorala is an important player for Karpat on both the power play and penalty kill.

 

Lasse

Kukkonen

0+3, +6

 

Top Defenceman: Karpat captain Lasse Kukkonen is a warrior who leads by example. Usually logging very high minutes on ice, Kukkonen’s job is to keep goals against to a minimum and make opposing players pay the price in front of the Karpat net. The fact the team has only given up one goal in four games is a testament to his effectiveness in this area. The Oulu-born Kukkonen is the embodiment of the northern work ethic and winning mentality.

 

Sami

Aittokallio

98.88 %

 

Top Goaltender: Sami Aittokallio joined Karpat this summer from the Colorado Avalanche organization. He has been a brick wall in CHL this season, allowing only one goal in four games. His save percentage of 98.88 is the best among all CHL goalies this year, and his 0.25 goals-against average is the best among all goalies that have played at least one full game – Aittokallio has played all four. He has been the key player in the triumphant run that Karpat have had in Europe so far. 

 

Click here for team statistics.

Closer look: Dusseldorfer EG

(1-1-0-2, 5 points, 15:14, 2nd in Group G)

Goals were an inevitability in any game involving Dusseldorfer EG in the group stage of this season’s Champions Hockey League. The German club was one of the top scoring teams during the round-robin stage, netting 15 goals. However, Dusseldorf also struggled to keep the puck out of their own net. The fans at the ISS Dome were treated to a fantastic contest on Game Day 2, as Dusseldorfer EG hosted Black Wings Linz. Norman Milley scored twice as the hosts defeated their Austrian guests 6–3 in a barnburner. A week later, Dusseldorf hosted TPS Turku, and once more goals were on the agenda. Milley was on the scoresheet again, scoring once and assisting twice, but despite the Canadian forward’s best efforts, TPS outlasted the home team to take a 5–4 victory. However, in a very different game on Game Day 5, Dusseldorf would get their revenge, as a fantastic performance in net by Robert Goepfert propelled the German side to a 2–1 shootout victory in Turku against TPS, securing Dusseldorf’s place in the Round of 32 despite the Game Day 6 loss in Linz. 

Eduard

Lewandowski

4+2, +1

 

Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Eduard Lewandowski, one of a handful of players to score 4 goals in the group stage, is one of the most skilled German players in the CHL. However, he was born in Russia and got his early hockey training there. Therefore, he is a tremendous skater with a good stick-handling. His game overview comes with an unstoppable hunger for scoring. His penalty-shot goal in Turku was the key to getting DEG to the next round.

Bernhard

Ebner

1+3, +3

 

Top Defenceman: Bernhard Ebner is a young German national team player. He is a strong and skilled defenceman with a lot potential to become a championship-winning team leader. His well-thought opening passes and his ability to use his offensive talents is an advantage for his team. 

 

Robert

Goepfert

91.67 %

 

Top Goaltender: Robert “Bobby” Goepfert is making a comeback this season after missing the majority of last season with a long-term injury. He is definitely a fan favourite in Dusseldorf, and not only because he holds the DEL record of 77 saves in one game. He is an awesome butterfly goalkeeper with an intuition for the puck coming to the goal. Karpat are a dangerous team, but if Bobby is on his game, he could help the DEG advance to the next round.

 

Click here for team statistics.

Related Links

08.09.2015 – Interview: Karpat Oulu GM Junno expecting “some hard battles” vs Dusseldorf

09.05.2015 – News: Brother Act: Olimbs try to lead Norway into quarters