Read below for information on the Round of 32 series between Karpat Oulu and Sparta Prague. Sparta won 2-1 in overtime to advance to the Round of 16.
Preview
Karpat Oulu and Sparta Prague met last year in a memorable Round of 16 match-up. After Karpat allowed only one goal in their first six games, Sparta lit the lamp four times in the first leg in Prague and took a two-goal aggregate lead to Oulu. Karpat then rallied on home ice to win, thanks to a goal by Mika Pyorala in the 120th minute of the series. Will things be similar this time around? Both teams have changed somewhat. Karpat are without some of the offensive weapons that helped them to last year's Final, but they still have some firepower up front and look as good as ever on defence and in goal. As for Sparta, their offence is still dangerous – even without top scorer Tomas Netik – but defence and goaltending have been a concern early in the season. This should be interesting, but one has to think that if they're not better defensively than they've shown so far, it will be very difficult for Sparta to get past a team still considered one of Europe's best.
Closer look: Karpat Oulu
(3-1-0-0, 11 points, 12:5, 1st in Group E)
As expected, Karpat won Group E, but although they won all four games, they were all close. They were outplayed by Vitkovice in their first game in Ostrava, but won 4-2 thanks largely to the goaltending of Jussi Rynnas in his first competitive game with the team. Two days later, Sami Aittokallio posted a 25-save shutout – his 6th in the CHL – as Karpat beat Krefeld 2-0. On home ice, it was Rynnas who shut out Vitkovice for 63 minutes until Mikko Niemela scored the game's only goal in overtime, and they wrapped it up with a 5-3 win over Krefeld. It's clear that the team's defence and goaltending is as solid as ever. They will now be tested against a Sparta team that is known for offence and, as people who followed last year will remember, posed the first real threat of the season for Karpat in last year's Round of 16.
Mikael
Ruohomaa
3+2, +4
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Centre Mikael Ruohomaa came to Karpat this season from KalPa Kuopio, where he led the team in scoring last seaon with 43 points in the Liiga regular season. With Karpat, Ruohomaa has kept up his scoring pace with at least a point in every game. After the first round of the CHL he has 5 points. As a player, he is quick and skilled with good stickhandling. Notable is that he is late bloomer and has played in Finnish highest league only two full seasons. Currently he plays on the team's second line with 22-year-olds Saku Maenalanen and Ville Leskinen. The team is currently without a lot of the offensive firepower that helped it to the CHL Final last year, but they still have Mika Pyorala centring the top line, so the team is deep down the middle.
Lasse
Kukkonen
1+1, +1
Top Defenceman: Hometown boy captain Lasse Kukkonen is the heart and soul of Karpat. This three-time Finnish champion is well known for his leadership, hard work on the ice and fierce protection of the own net. He can play in any situation and is a trusted defenceman, which means he also usually plays the most minutes on the team. He doesn't get points in every game, but unselfishly does everything to help the team win. This season he is paired with Shaun Heshka, another top all-round defenceman. Another d-man to watch is tall Jani Hakanpaa, who has shown development in his defensive game as well with his offensive game and stickhandling. He can surprise with his strong shot when given a chance.
Jussi
Rynnas
96.77 %
Top Goaltender: In recent years it has been usual that Karpat doesn't really have one clear starting goalie but two great ones. This season is the same as Sami Aittokallio and Jussi Rynnas are splitting the workload roughly down the middle. Both have good reflexes with size and skill to cover the net well. Rynnas played last season in the KHL with Ak Bars Kazan. Aittokallio was with Karpat and is remembered for posting five shutouts in his first six CHL games, and backstopping the team to the Final. Both goalies had stingy numbers in their two CHL games this year, and chances are we'll see both against Sparta.
Click here for team statistics.
Closer look: Sparta Prague
(2-1-0-1, 8 Points, 16:10, 2nd in Group O)
Being drawn into a group with Comarch Cracovia from Poland, it was assumed that Sparta and Farjestad Karlstad had almost a free pass to the Round of 32, and both made it easily. Sparta began by playing the first CHL game in Poland and spoiled the party with a 7-2 win, thanks to a Tomas Netik hat-trick. Up next was Farjestad on home ice, and Sparta led 1-0 after two periods but the Swedish club struck twic in the third and won 2-1. In the return engagement against Cracovia, Sparta fired 65 shots at netminder Rafal Radziszewski, but the game was tied 4-4 before a late power-play marker by Neik decided it in Sparta's favour. In their last game in Karlstad, Sparta needed a regulation win to take the group, but surrendered a last-minute equalizer. They won in overtime, but Farjestad's win over Cracovia in the last game dropped Sparta to second. While Sparta were equal to the Farjestad challenge at times, they sometimes buckled under pessure. Are they ready for the solid two-way game Karpat will now bring to them?
Lukas
Klimek
1+4, +1
Top Forward & CRAMO Top Scorer: Tomas Netik not only led Sparta in scoring during the group stage, but he also led the whole CHL with 6 goals. However, due to a knee injury sustained Friday in Extraliga action, he will be out of the lineup for the Round of 32. Therefore, the Top Scorer jersey gets passed to Lukas Klimek, with 5 points. While the loss of Netik is a blow, depth at forward is still the team's main strength, with proven scorers such as Petr Vrana, Lukas Pech and captain Jaroslav Hlinka, who underwent minor lower-body surgery at the end of August but returned to the lineup on Friday.
Michal
Cajkovsky
1+1, -1
Top Defenceman: Slovak Michal Cajkovsky has had a great start to the season so far, as it looks like he is continuing where he left off last season, when he collected 28 points in the Czech regular season. Individual stats aren’t everything, though. Sparta doesn’t work that well in defence so far in the beginning of the season. While the team's offence is dangerous, the team needs to do a better job at keeping the puck out of its own net. That was seen a bit in the CHL group stage and has been a problem at the start of the Extraliga season. Hopefully, the return of head coach Jiri Kalous, who was away as an assistant with the Czech team at the World Cup of Hockey, will help.
