The last two semi-finalists of the 95 th Spengler Cup will be determined on Friday. Ambri-Piott will face Frolunda Gothenburg at 3.10pm. And Team Canada and KalPa Kuopio will clash at 8.15pm.

As the winners of their respective groups, Dynamo Pardubice and HC Davos have qualified directly for Saturday’s semifinals. Their opponents will be determined in two quarterfinal matchups on Friday. The game between defending champion Ambri-Piotta and Spengler Cup newbie Frolunda promises to be a thriller. Neither team wants to say goodbye to Davos on Friday already. Ambri narrowly missed the top spot in its group due to a 3-2 overtime loss to Dynamo Pardubice. The Ticinesi can once again count on the loud support from their many fans in the stands. They want nothing more than to chant their victory hymn “La Montanara” one more time. Frolunda’s games against Team Canada (4-0 loss) and HC Davos (4-1 loss) were much more even than the final scores suggest. The Swedish top team’s greatest issue at the Spengler Cup to this point was its inefficiency on scoring opportunities. Wait and see whether Frolunda manages solve its problem against Ambri.

Team Canada now has to move on quickly from missing the group stage win in its late 4-3 loss to Davos and focus on the quarterfinal matchup with KalPa Kuopio on Friday evening. A tournament victory is still possible for the Canadians. KalPa may have lost both games during the group stage. Nonetheless, the Finns are not to be underestimated. They displayed remarkable willpower and showed a solid performance in their narrow 2-1 loss to the Czech championship leader Dynamo Pardubice on Thursday afternoon.

Quelle: Spengler Cup-Online Redaktion   Foto: Keystone