CHL Season Review 2018/19

RED BULL MUNICH’S HISTORIC RUN 31 Perhaps the biggest story of this past CHL season was the run of Red Bull Munich all the way to the Final. It was the first time that a German team had advanced past the Round of 16. After finishing tied for top spot in Group B with the Malmö Redhawks and seeded second, they were drawn against EV Zug in the first playoff round and dropped the first game 3-2 on home ice. The follow- ing week in Switzerland, they won 2-0 to ad- vance, getting the late aggregate-winner from Frank Mauer. In the Quarter-Finals, they were rematched against Malmö and got off to the right start with a 2-1 win at home. The return leg in Sweden was a wild affair, with the Redhawks winning the regu- lation game 5-4, which sent the tie to over- time. There, Trevor Parkes completed his hat trick and Red Bull Munich continued their march. Up next were Red Bull Salzburg, with Munich once again opening at home. After a scoreless draw, Munich then won the return game in Austria 3-1 courtesy of two- point efforts from Yannic Seidenberg and Michael Wolf, the latter announcing just days later that he would retire at the conclu- sion of the season. For the Final, Munich travelled to Gothenburg to face the two- time European champion Frölunda Indians. It wasn’t an easy task, but after falling be- hind 3-0, Red Bull turned in a solid third pe- riod and got a goal from Yasin Ehliz. That’s as close as they’d come, but it was a ride that the team’s fans won’t soon forget.