Perfection. It’s a word that carries some weight as it encompasses immense expectation and pressure that can be too unwieldy for some. However, perfection can also be a motivator, a galvanizing incentive to do and be the best.
Since its introduction in the 2017/18 installment of the Champions Hockey League, no club in the current four-team group format has managed to secure all 18 points to close out the Group Stage. This was until Fribourg-Gottéron who, in their 4th CHL participation, achieved perfection by becoming the first club in league history to amass maximum points to finish off the first leg of the pan-European competition.
To be sure, clubs have come close to achieving this feat. Frölunda Gothenburg tallied 17 the same year the new format took effect as they took every game in the Group Stage. However, one OT win – which awards two points instead of three – dashed their perfect record.
HC Pilsen engineered their own 17-point performance during the 2018/19 campaign when they put together six consecutive victories but fell victim to the same OT outcome in one of the games. Frölunda again was one point shy of 18 this season, but their 4:3 OT win over ZSC Lions Zurich got in the way.
With teams knocking on the door, the question shifted from if it could happen to when it would happen.
Enter Fribourg-Gottéron.
In a group that drew two debutants and two returning clubs, Fribourg found themselves facing off against CHL veterans Oceláři Třinec, alongside newcomers Slovan Bratislava and Leksands IF.
The Swiss were ready from Game Day 1 as they showcased just how dominant their play could be against Europe’s elite, winning decisively over Třinec 6-2. Fribourg continued to impress in the early going, maintaining a multi-goal gap in each contest - with the exception of their 4-3 final over Třinec - to remain undefeated as they headed into their Game Day 5 affair with Leksands IF, who were also sporting a perfect record to that point.
As they prepared for this highly anticipated match-up, Fribourg understood the position they were in according to defenceman Ryan Gunderson.
“We came in looking at it as an important game," he said.
Some spectacular goaltending by Connor Hughes, who Gunderson admits, “kept us in,” would be the difference-maker, as the Swiss side went on to record their fifth win in a 5-2 decision, leaving open the possibility to achieve that ever-elusive 18-point mark. Following Fribourg’s win over Leksand, Gunderson relayed, “as the Group Stage goes you want to win it.”
Leading the charge up front for their pivotal Game Day 6 rematch was Gunderson (2G, 5A), as well as forwards Killian Mottet (2G, 6A), Jordann Bougro (1G, 5A), and former NHLers Christopher DiDomenico (2G, 4A) and David Desharnais (3G, 3A). But the spotlight would, again, be on Hughes who managed to blank the Swedes as Fribourg bulldozed their way through Leksand to stay unbeaten.
Through their tenacious play, Fribourg have found their rhythm and, at the moment, look unstoppable. With their sixth consecutive victory, the Swiss side have cemented themselves in CHL history and as puck drop for the Round of 16 nears, we'll be anxious to see if the Swiss side will be able to keep their record, well, perfect.