KooKoo defeated Germany’s Adler Mannheim 5–2 on home ice, while Tappara recovered from an early deficit to beat Polish side GKS Tychy 6–3 away from home. Both results ensured the Finnish teams progressed to the last 16.
Davidsson hat-trick inspires KooKoo
KooKoo entered their final fixture under pressure after winning only once in their opening four rounds. However, consecutive victories at the end of the regular season proved enough to secure qualification.
Marcus Davidsson led the charge against Adler Mannheim, scoring twice within three minutes in the opening period before completing his hat-trick with a short-handed goal early in the second.
Anthony Greco responded with a short-handed strike for Mannheim, but KooKoo regained control in the third period. Veeti Miettinen and Oskari Luoto scored to extend the Finnish side’s advantage, while Brooks Macek added a consolation goal for the German visitors.
The 5–2 victory completed a crucial turnaround for KooKoo, who finished the regular season with the momentum needed to advance.
Tappara fight back to eliminate Tychy
Tappara also secured qualification, overcoming a difficult opening period to claim a 6–3 victory against GKS Tychy in Poland.
The home side threatened an upset as Szymon Kucharski and Henri Knuutinen twice put Tychy ahead, with Niclas Amlari scoring between their goals.
Tappara responded strongly in the second period. Benjamin Rautiainen restored parity before Vilho Vanhatalo and Aapeli Räsänen scored on power plays to put the visitors in front.
Dyland Fabre then made it 5–2 before the end of the period, giving Tappara a commanding advantage. Räsänen scored again early in the third period, and although Lauri Sertti found the net for Tychy, the Finnish side held on for a 6–3 win.
The defeat confirmed Tychy’s elimination from the competition without a victory in the regular season.
Frölunda deliver the night’s biggest win
Elsewhere, Swedish side Frölunda produced the most emphatic result of the round, thrashing Bordeaux 11–1 on home ice.
Filip Cederqvist scored a hat-trick and added two assists to finish with five points. Graeme Clarke and Liam Dower Nilsson each scored twice as Frölunda completed a convincing regular-season campaign.
Skellefteå also finished strongly, beating Salzburg 4–2 at home to record their fifth win in six matches and strengthen their position near the top of the standings.
Meanwhile, Swedish sides Rögle and Växjö suffered defeats. Rögle lost 5–1 to Nitra, while Växjö fell 2–1 in overtime against Pardubice. Both Swedish clubs had already secured qualification before the final round, although the results affected their final seeding.
Finnish clubs advance to the knockout stages
KooKoo and Tappara’s victories ensured both Finnish teams progressed to the Champions Hockey League knockout rounds. SaiPa were also already assured of qualification ahead of their final fixture against league leaders Plzeň on Wednesday, 14 October.
The final round therefore highlighted the strength of Finnish representation in the competition, with all three clubs set to feature in the knockout stages.
With the regular season complete for most teams, attention now turns to the last 16, where the qualified sides will compete for a place in the quarter-finals.
Round-six results
• KooKoo: 5–2 Adler Mannheim
• Tappara: 6–3 GKS Tychy
• Frölunda: 11–1 Bordeaux
• Skellefteå: 4–2 Salzburg
• Nitra: 5–1 Rögle
• Pardubice: 2–1 Växjö (overtime)