Semis pit Farjestad vs. Sparta Prague, Geneve-Servette vs. ZSC Lions Zurich
 
On Wednesday, all four of the Champions Hockey League’s quarter-finals wrapped up. The return games saw two first-game leads overturned – one of them decided in overtime – and another that saw two aggregate lead changes.
 
In the end, the victorious CHL clubs were Färjestad Karlstad from Sweden, Sparta Prague from Czechia, and the ZSC Lions Zurich and Geneve-Servette from Switzerland. Geneve is the defending European club champion after winning the CHL last year, and an all-Swiss semi-final matchup assures there will be a Swiss team in the final again this year.
 

Farjestad Karlstad (SWE) def. Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) 7-3 (1-3, 6-0)

Special teams played a role in the first game in Salzburg, with Red Bull scoring one goal shorthanded and another on a five-minute power play. The return game was scoreless after a period, but by the end of the second, Farjestad already had the aggregate lead after three straight goals. The Swedish club eventually won the game 6-0, thanks to a four-point performance from former Boston Bruin Oskar Steen.

“They were outstanding – they were too much for us to handle,” said Salzburg head coach Oliver David. “Our two-goal lead coming out of Salzburg in Game One obviously proved not to be enough. We made some mistakes that they capitalized on, but they were excellent. They earned everything.”
 
Through 10 games this season, Farjestad has eight wins, one loss and one tie. It advances to the CHL semi-finals for the first time.

Sparta Prague (CZE) def. Vaxjo Lakers (SWE) 7-6 OT (1-2, 5-4 , 1-0)

In the first game in Prague, Vaxjo got a late goal from Elias Rosen to take the aggregate lead, and then scored twice more in the first period of the return game at home to build that lead up to three. It remained that way into the third period when Sparta mounted a comeback, outscoring the Lakers 4-1 to force overtime. Sparta scored twice in the last three minutes with their goalie out for the extra attacker – Michal Repik netted the equalizer with 1:04 remaining. The overtime goal was scored by ex-Laker Jani Lajunen, who finished the game with two goals and four assists.

 
“It’s been a long time, but it's always great to go back to where you played before,” Lajunen told the Sparta website. “In the third period, we managed to score very early, which was great. It was a physically demanding game, and because of winning those battles we got the puck more often.”

Geneve-Servette (SUI) def. Pinguins Bremerhaven (GER) 6-2 (4-0, 2-2)

After Geneve won by four goals on home ice in the first game, thanks to two points each from Sami Vatanen and Vincent Praplan and a 35-save Antti Raanta shutout, this was the least dramatic of the four quarter-finals. The aggregate difference was never seriously threatened. Following two defensive, scoreless periods, the teams traded two goals in the third period of the return game, which suited Geneve just fine.
 
“We knew that we were in the lead and it was just a matter of staying smart and disciplined,” said Geneve head coach Jan Cadieux. “We take a lot of pride in this competition and after winning last year, we wanted to do well. To go back to the semi-finals is a great accomplishment.”

ZSC Lions Zurich (SUI) def. Eisbaren Berlin (GER) 9-7 (4-3, 5-4)

Call them the comeback kids. Two weeks in a row, Zurich spotted Berlin a three-goal lead, and both times the Lions roared back to win the game by a goal, and win on aggregate by two. In both games, Sven Andrighetto recorded a goal and an assist to lead the comeback.
 
With the aggregate score tied 7-7 midway through the third period of the return leg,  Andrighetto scored on a brilliant solo rush to score the eventual winner. Andrighetto continues to lead the CHL scoring race with 17 points in 10 games.

“When we went to Berlin and went down 3-0 and had to battle back, I didn’t think we played as good a game as we played tonight, but we knew they were going to be difficult to play against,” said Zurich assistant coach Rob Cookson. “For us to come back the way we did tonight was really outstanding.”
 
Overall, Zurich has the CHL’s best overall record this season, having taken 26 of 30 possible points.

The semi-final matchups

• Farjestad Karlstad (SWE) vs Sparta Prague (CZE)
• Geneve-Servette (SUI) vs ZSC Lions Zurich (SUI)

 
ZSC Lions, the European club champion in 2007-08, will aim to dethrone reigning champs Geneve-Servette and advance to this year’s CHL final. Meanwhile, Sparta Prague is set to play its first CHL semi-final since 2016-17, when it made the final. And Farjestad is trying to preserve Sweden’s streak of being represented in every CHL final since 2014-15.
 
Just as in the previous playoff rounds, the semi-finals will be played in two legs, with the winner on aggregate score advancing. The first games will be played on 14-15 January, with the return games a week later on 21-22 January. The one-game final is scheduled for 18 February.
 
For more, visit championshockeyleague.com.