The Fujs brothers delighted the loud home support in Zagreb as HAHK Mladost edged out Italian champions HC Bra to cap a lively first day of the men’s EuroHockey Club Trophy II.
HC SHVSM Olimpia Vinnitsa and Casa Pia Atlético Clube began the competition with a 2-2 draw in Pool A before Nizip Zeugma proved too strong for Slagelse. Pomorzanin Torun also won well with a 4-1 success over Copenhagen HC.
** To see the tables, results and fixtures from the event, click here
Game 1: HC SHVSM Olimpia Vinnitsa v Casa Pia Atlético Clube 2-2
HC SHVSM Olimpia Vinnitsa squared off against Casa Pia Atlético Clube raised the curtain on the tournament, ending in a well-fought 2-2 draw, earning each team 2 points in Pool A.
The first half was a chess match in which the Portuguese side took the lead with a penalty stroke from Vasco Ribeiro, quickly countered by a field goal from Vitalii Semeniushko for Olimpia Vinnitsa. The third period saw Casa Pia briefly gaining the upper hand with a field goal by Tomás Teixeira but the Ukraine side responded in the fourth quarter with a penalty stroke by Yevhenii Kotiuzhynskyi, leveling the score at 2-2.
Game 2: Slagelse HC v Nizip Zeugma SK 1 – 5
Turkish side Nizip Zeugma SK defeated Slagelse HC 5-1 to start Pool A in style despite going 1-0 behind to a Jonas Diesing goal at the 7-minute mark. Nizip quickly responded, equalizing a minute later through Aydın Şahin and they raced away with Cihan Korkmaz scoring twice for a comfortable win.
Game 3: Copenhagen HC v KS Pomorzanin Torun 1-4
In the third match of the day and the first of Pool B, KS Pomorzanin Torun defeated Copenhagen HC 4-1.
The Polish side established an early lead, scoring three goals in the first quarter through field goals by Krystian Makowski (two goals) and Sebastian Sellner. Copenhagen scored their only goal in the third quarter via a penalty corner by Daniel Portugal. But Torun made extra sure when they extended their lead in the final quarter with another field goal by Wojciech Rutkowski, concluding the game at 4-1.
Game 4: HAHK Mladost v HC Bra 2-1
In the final game of the first day, host team HAHK Mladost secured a 2-1 victory over HC Bra in front of their loud home support.
Mladost took an early lead with a field goal by Gregor Fujs in the 12th minute from a clean strike as they made most of the early moves.
Bra got a foothold in the game to create chances of their own through the first half but they were further behind in the third quarter when Anže Fujs converted a penalty stroke in the 43rd minute. Bra responded in the fourth quarter with a field goal by Simone Raimo in the 54th minute, but they could not close the gap further.
