The EuroHockey Club Challenge II Men 2025 got off to a flying start in Šiauliai, with 25 goals and plenty of drama across the opening four matches. The youthful hosts, Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija, thrilled the home crowd with a memorable comeback, while KS Pomorzanin Torun produced an impressive performance.
Here’s how the action unfolded on Day 1:
Game 1:
Floriana Young Stars kicked off their tournament with a strong 3–1 victory over Roslagens IF. The Maltese side opened the scoring in the 19th minute through Justin Farrugia (No. 9). They doubled the lead at the end of the third quarter when Anton Saliba (No. 10) netted in the 45th minute. Marvin Vella (No. 11) extended the margin to 3–0 with a 57th-minute field goal. Roslagens’ late consolation came from Leo Törner (No. 51) in the 59th minute. It was a composed display by Young Stars, capitalising on key moments to secure the three points.
Game 2:
Furuset Landhockeyklubb staged a late comeback to defeat HC Luxembourg. Luxembourg led through Milan Dans (38’), but George Roberts equalised in the 52nd minute. Just one minute from time (59’), Fredrik Helgetveit struck the winning goal to seal a vital 2–1 win for the Norwegians.
Game 3:
A huge victory for KS Pomorzanin Torun, overwhelming FHC Akademik Plus Sofia 20–0. The Polish side dominated from start to finish, with multiple goals from Filip Kunlewski, Bartosz Zakrzewski, Sebastian Sellner, and Wojciech Rutkowski among others. Thirteen penalty corners were converted in a clinical display.
Game 4:
Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija thrilled the home crowd with a dramatic 4–3 comeback win. Triglav Predanovci took the lead via Nejc Potokar (21’). Local star Povilas Sinkevičius then produced a four-goal burst — two penalty corners (41’, 49’) followed by two field goals (51’, 52’) — to turn the game on its head. Predanovci responded through Domen Dšuban (54’) and a second from Potokar (57’), but Ginstrektė-Akademija held firm for the win in front of a vibrant home crowd in spite of the rain!
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