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CHL round of 16 finished, quarter-final matchups set
by Derek O'Brien|19 NOV 2025
Through eight games, Ilves Tampere (in green) remain the Champions Hockey League's only team with a perfect record this season.
photo: Timo Koistinen / Ilves Tampere / Champions Hockey League
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The Champions Hockey League’s round of 16 concluded with the return games of the two-game total-goal series on Tuesday and Wednesday. The results saw the defending champion ZSC Lions from Zurich get dethroned and a thrilling overtime comeback involving Brynas Gavle and SC Bern. Two of the eight remaining teams still have not been beaten.

The eight quarter-finalists include three teams each from Finland and Sweden and one each from Switzerland and Germany.

(1) Ilves Tampere FIN def. (16) Pinguins Bremerhaven GER 8-4 (3-2, 5-2)

Ilves remains the CHL’s only perfect team with eight straight regulation victories. That record was threatened in the first game when Bremerhaven led 2-1, but they came back to win. Bremerhaven briefly threatened in the second period of the return game. Erik Borg recorded four points in two games.

(2) KalPa Kuopio FIN def. (15) ZSC Lions Zurich SUI 8-6 (4-4, 4-2)

KalPa is the CHL’s second remaining unbeaten team – the only blemishes being an overtime win in the regular season and the first-game tie in Zurich. On home ice, KalPa built up a four-goal lead through 27 minutes before the reigning CHL and Swiss champions made a third-period push that fell short. Teemu Hartikainen and Andreas Okany each had two-goal games.
 

(3) Frolunda Gothenberg SWE def. (14) Grenoble FRA 4-3 (3-1, 1-2)

While it’s no surprise that Frolunda prevailed, French champion Grenoble made this a lot closer than expected. Frolunda went home with a two-goal aggregate lead and the teams traded goals in the second period of the return game. Alexandre Maillet scored for Grenoble in the final period and the “Wolf Burners” pushed hard for the aggregate equalizer, but it wasn’t to be.

(13) EV Zug SUI def. (4) Sparta Prague CZE 8-3 (6-0, 2-3)

This was essentially decided in the first period of the first game, when Zug scored four goals. Back home in the Czech capital, Sparta won the return game but never really threatened Zug’s big cushion. Over the two games, Gregory Hofmann had three points for Zug, Dominik Kubalik scored two power-play goals and Leonardo Genoni recorded a shutout.

(5) Lukko Rauma FIN def. (12) Storhamar Hamar NOR 8-4 (3-2, 5-2)

Storhamar built up a 2-0 lead in the first game on home ice before Lukko stormed back with three goals in the third. That momentum carried over into the return game, resulting in a 5-2 win. Over 120 minutes, Lukko outshot Storhamar 64-25. Alex Beaucage led Lukko offensively with four points.

(6) ERC Ingolstadt GER def. (11) Red Bull Salzburg AUT 9-6 (6-2, 3-4)

Ingolstadt earned a 6-2 win at home thanks to three goals and an assist by Riley Barber, the CHL’s leading scorer with 12 points. In the return game in Austria, Salzburg closed the aggregate deficit to two on a couple of occasions, but a late empty-netter sealed Ingolstadt's first-ever quarter-final berth. In addition to Barber’s output, Philipp Krauss and Riley Sheen had three points each.

(10) Brynas Gavle SWE def. (7) SC Bern SUI 6-5 in OT (1-2, 4-3, 1-0)

This was one of the more highly anticipated round-of-16 matchups, and it didn’t disappoint. Bern won by a goal in Gavle and increased its aggregate lead to three in the second period of the return game at home before the dangerous Brynas side staged a comeback. Oscar Lindblom tied the aggregate score in the last minute of regulation time and Johan Larsson scored in overtime. Marco Lehmann figured in on all five Bern goals.

(9) Lulea Hockey SWE def. (8) Kometa Brno CZE 9-6 (6-1, 3-5)

Lulea’s five-goal outburst in the third period of the first game in northern Sweden broke a 1-1 tie and ultimately made the difference. The reigning Czech champs won the return game 5-3, but the hill was too steep to climb. With three points, Brian O’Neill was Lulea’s top scorer over two games.

Quarter-final matchups

 

  • (1) Ilves Tampere FIN vs (9) Lulea Hockey SWE

  • (2) KalPa Kuopio FIN vs (10) Brynas Gavle SWE

  • (3) Frolunda Gothenburg SWE vs (6) ERC Ingolstadt GER

  • (5) Lukko Rauma FIN vs (13) EV Zug SUI

Like the round of 16, the quarter-finals will be played in two legs, with one game on each team’s home ice – the higher-seeded team gets the second game at home, subject to arena availability. The first games are scheduled for 2-3 December and the return games on 16 December – the CHL will announce the full schedule soon.

The semi-finals will be played in January, using the same format as the round of 16 and quarter-finals. The one-game final is scheduled for Tuesday, 3 March, after the Olympic break.

Starting this season, CHL games are streamed on IIHF.tv. You can find more information about the availability of IIHF.tv streams here.

Effects of “no return” overtime rule


This season, the Champions Hockey League introduced a new rule in 3-on-3 overtime, where teams cannot retreat from the attacking zone to the neutral or defensive zone by passing or carrying the puck back across the blueline. For a violation of the rule, play is stopped, the offending team is denied a line change, and the following face-off is in the offending team’s zone. The purpose of the rule is to try to encourage teams to generate offence rather than maintain puck possession.

According to a study conducted by the Champions Hockey League during the regular season, “(t)he data from the 11 overtime periods played so far this season shows encouraging trends aligned with the rule’s intended objectives.”

The study shows that shot attempts in overtime increased by approximately 51 percent compared to previous seasons, alternating puck possession rose by 23 percent, alternating attacking zone possession by 17 percent, and alternating shot attempts by 53 percent. As a result, games were decided in overtime rather than a shootout this season at a rate 12 percent higher than the two previous seasons.

According to the CHL’s report, the rule change was rated favourably in a survey of fans, club representatives and game officials.

“We are pleased to see that the ‘no return’ rule has been successfully implemented during the regular season and is already having a clear, measurable and positive impact on the game,” said CHL sports director Fadri Holinger. “The increase in quick transitions, greater pace, and more frequent scoring chances demonstrate that this adjustment is achieving its intended objectives. As the competition progresses, we expect the rule to continue contributing to overtime as a more dynamic and decisive part of the game.”

For more information, visit the Champions Hockey League website.

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