Liberec Plays Kölner Haie in CHL Playoffs at Lanxess Arena
Bílí Tygři Liberec face a record-breaking crowd and an aggressive German offense on Wednesday, November 11, starting their Champions Hockey League play-off journey away against Kölner Haie at the LANXESS Arena.
Kölner Haie set a tournament attendance record in September when 18,104 fans watched their 5:2 victory over Frölunda. That figure surpassed the previous maximum held by Davos and Sparta by 3,537 spectators. The German club also claimed the top spot for average attendance at 12,336 fans per game, creating a formidable environment for the visiting Czech side.
“Rozhodně můžeme očekávat skvělou atmosféru, chodí na ně hodně lidí. Těšíme se na výbornou kulisu. Hraje se na dva zápasy a šance jsou podle mě padesát na padesát,” said Liberec coach Jiří Kudrna. Kudrna also pointed out that Cologne finished third in the regular season and plays a fast, high-movement style featuring skilled foreign players.
Liberec secured the fourteenth playoff position during the final round of the regular season with a 2:0 victory over Davos, powered by goaltender Petr Hamalčík and his 98.04 percent save rate. Meanwhile, the team fought through a challenging start before stringing together four consecutive victories against Herning, Graz, Frölunda, and Davos to reach the knockout stage.
The two clubs last met twelve years ago during the 2014/15 Champions Hockey League group stage, where Liberec claimed both matches by scores of 4:1 away and 2:1 at home. This time, however, the German team presents a vastly different challenge led by the prolific top line of Marcel Noebels, MacLeod and Russell, and other offensive threats who have dominated both domestic DEL play and European competition.
“Musíme být především zodpovědní v obraně, protože každý gól se v konečném součtu obou zápasů počítá,” said Bílí Tygři Liberec’s Radan Lenc. Lenc added that the squad needs a strong result on the road to set up the return leg under Mount Ještěd.
The opening leg begins at 19:30 on Wednesday, November 11, at the LANXESS Arena, with the return fixture scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, in Liberec. The winner of the series will advance to the quarterfinals to face either Frölunda Gothenburg or the Växjö Lakers.
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