12/11/2026
It's almost time!
It's almost time! In just over 24 hours, Group D of the IIHF Continental Cup semifinal round will officially get underway, bringing three days of top-level international ice hockey to Asiago's Odegar Stadium from November 13 to 15. The tournament will open on Friday at 4:30 PM with the clash between Herlev Eagles and Corona Brasov, giving Asiago's coaching staff, led by John Parco, and all the fans an early opportunity to watch two of the weekend's opponents in action and begin assessing the level and characteristics of the teams taking part.
Fans will have to wait until 8:00 PM to see Asiago take to the ice, when the hosts make their debut against Kazakhstan's Nomad Astana in what, at least on paper, promises to be the toughest challenge of the group. Head Coach John Parco also acknowledged the difficulty of the matchup: "Our coaching staff has watched quite a lot of video footage of them over the past few days. They are a very physical team, which is a common characteristic of Russian and Kazakh teams, but at the same time they also have excellent individual technical skills."
Nomad Astana arrive in Asiago after going through a rather difficult spell. Following a brilliant start to the season that had taken the Kazakh side to the top of the standings, they suffered three consecutive defeats: a heavy 6-0 loss to Gornyak, followed by back-to-back defeats against Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, first 6-3 and then 3-0. Those last two results cost Nomad their place at the top of the table, with the team from Ust-Kamenogorsk taking over first position. The Kazakh side have not played since, having stopped for the international break.
As previously reported, Nomad Astana are the farm team of Barys Astana, a club competing in the prestigious KHL. As part of the cooperation between the two organizations, the involvement of two players from the KHL team appears to have already been confirmed. According to a club announcement, Batyrlan Muratov and Kirill Panyukov are expected to travel to Asiago, pending the official registration of the tournament rosters.
The first is 27-year-old forward Batyrlan Muratov, who has split his season between the two teams and brings experience from 119 KHL appearances, recording 28 points with 8 goals and 20 assists. Even more impressive is the résumé of 29-year-old Kirill Panyukov, who has registered 82 points, including 47 goals and 35 assists, in 355 KHL games. However, Panyukov has seen very limited playing time this season, making just two KHL appearances, the most recent on October 2, before being left out of the lineup due to coaching decisions.
On Saturday evening, in the second round of the group, Asiago will face the Herlev Eagles, a Danish team whose season has been anything but consistent. After a particularly difficult start, the Eagles managed to turn things around with four consecutive victories in just eight days, before slipping into another negative run of results.
Before the international break, Herlev suffered two defeats, losing 6-2 to Odense and 5-3 to Rødovre, before finally returning to winning ways with an overtime victory against Herning. The Danish side were back on the ice as recently as yesterday evening, just before their trip to Italy, suffering another 4-2 defeat against SønderjyskE.
The Metal Ligaen standings reflect the difficulties Herlev have faced so far this season. The Eagles currently sit sixth with 20 points, closer to bottom-placed Aalborg, on 15 points, than to the top of the table, where Herning lead with an impressive 45 points.
To make matters worse, the Eagles will also be without a key offensive player. Herlev will have to manage without their leading scorer, Victor Cubars, who suffered a broken hand and is expected to remain sidelined for several more weeks. It is a significant loss for a team that, despite its struggles in the domestic league, has already shown that it can produce impressive performances and put together a series of positive results in a short period of time.
The third and final day will see Asiago take on Romania's Corona Brasov, in a game that could prove decisive for both teams, considering the tournament format and the fact that only the top three teams will qualify for the Final Six.
As reported in recent weeks, Corona Brasov secured their place in the Asiago semifinal by winning their group in the previous round of the Continental Cup. The Romanian side are also competing on two fronts this season, taking part in both their domestic championship and the Erste Liga, an international competition mainly featuring Romanian and Hungarian teams.
In the Erste Liga, Brasov recently surrendered the top spot to DEAC after suffering two defeats in quick succession at the end of October: first a 4-3 loss against Gyergyói, followed by a 5-4 defeat in the direct clash with the team from Debrecen.
Their performances in the Romanian championship tell a very different story. Corona continue to lead the standings with 29 points, having suffered just two overtime defeats, while also boasting the best offense and the best defense in the competition. The team were in action as recently as Tuesday, November 10, recording a convincing 6-1 victory over Galati and confirming their excellent domestic form.
However, Corona Brasov will also travel to Asiago without one of their most important players. The Romanian side will be missing David Levin, their main offensive threat, who has been sidelined by a fractured humerus. Before his injury, Levin was second in the Erste Liga scoring standings and had been one of the key figures in Corona's Continental Cup qualification, leading his team with an impressive 9 points in the previous round of the competition. His absence deprives Brasov of one of their most talented and dangerous players.
Three opponents from different hockey backgrounds, each with their own characteristics, history and current form, but all sharing the same objective: securing one of the three available places in the Final Six. Asiago therefore face an intense weekend in which every game and every point could prove crucial to the final standings.
Meanwhile, attention is also turning to the final official procedures ahead of the competition. The official rosters of all four participating teams are expected to be registered by this afternoon, a formal step that will confirm the players available to each team for the tournament, including Head Coach Parco's final roster selections.
From Friday evening onwards, however, it will be the action on the ice at the Odegar and the results of the six scheduled games that determine the true balance of power. For the Giallorossi, it will be another opportunity to compete on the international stage, in front of their home crowd, with the ambition of securing a place among the final six teams of the Continental Cup.
TICKETS AND PASSES
Tickets and tournament passes are now on sale.
The full tournament pass, which provides access to all six games, will be available for purchase until midnight tonight.
Daily tickets are also available and will be valid for both games scheduled on the selected day.
For prices and purchases: https://ticket.midaticket.it/hockeyclubasiago/Events
LIVE COVERAGE
All games will be streamed live on IIHF.tv (€4.95 per game or €10.99 for a six-game tournament pass) or on FISG.tv (monthly pass available for €12.99).
Live radio commentary of Asiago's games will be broadcast on Radio Asiago, our media partner, on 107.7 FM or online at www.radioasiago.it.
EVENTS
Throughout all three evenings, fans will be able to enjoy DJ sets featuring DJ Gioia and Radio Stella FM, our media partner.
Gallery
Foto: © Roberto Costa Ebech