Men’s EuroHockey Club Challenge II (Siauliai, Lithuania) – day three round-up
KS Pomorzanin Torun will face HC Luxembourg while Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija face Floriana Young Stars in Monday’s EuroHockey Club Challenge II in Lithuania following a lovely conclusion to the group stages.
The relegation battle will see HK Triglav Predanovci play Roslagens and FHC Akademik Plus Sofia take on Furuset LHK.
Pool A
HK Triglav Predanovci (SLO) – FHC Akademik Plus Sofia (BUL) 15-0
Hat tricks from Mitja Dšuban and Nejc Potokar saw the Slovenian side ease to their first win of the competition, albeit not quite enough to reach one of Monday’s finals.
For the short-handed Bulgarians, it concluded a rough group phase in which they conceded 47 times.
Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija (LTU) – KS Pomorzanin Torun (POL) 1-5
KS Pomorzanin Tourn overcame an early deficit to storm past the challenge of the hosts (pictured above) and ensure they top the pool ahead of Monday’s final.
The prolific Povilas Sinkevičius fired Šiauliai into the lead in the eighth minute but the more experienced Polish side turned things around in Q2 with goals from Bartosz Draźkowski and Wojciech Rutkowski.
Further strikes from Dmytro Luppa, Draźkowski and Mariusz Kowalski in the third quarter saw them pull away for a third successive win.
| Rank | Team | Pl | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KS Pomorzanin Torun (POL) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija (LTU) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 8 | 10 |
| 3 | HK Triglav Predanovci (SLO) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 7 | 7 |
| 4 | FHC Akademik Plus Sofia (BUL) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
Pool B
Floriana Young Stars (MLT) – Furuset LHK (NOR) 3-1
Floriana Young Stars got the win that ultimately confirmed they would top the group following a blistering first half performance, snagging a 3-1 win.
It came after a flurry of goals around the 13-minute mark; Karl Chircop netted a stroke only for Frederik Helgetveit to level moments later from a corner. Rizwan Ali, however, restored the Maltese side’s lead with the clock ticking into the 14th minute for a 2-1 scoreline.
And the Young Stars had a key buffer via Clive Williams’ goal in Q2 which ultimately put them out of reach. Their second win lifted them out of reach of the chasers and into one of Monday’s finals.
Roslagens IF (SWE) – HC Luxembourg (LUX) 2-4
Luxembourg secured their place in one of Monday’s final as they got a vital win over Sweden’s Roslagens with a François Lanotte double in Q2 making the difference.
They led from the ninth minute when Milan Dans broke the deadlock and Lanotte’s first doubled the advantage. Leo Tôrner pulled one back a minute later but Lanotte’s second gave his side breathing room, 3-1 at half-time.
Vicente Aguirrezabala made the game safe with 13 minutes left while Roslagens did salvage a bonus point via Lucas Saverstam.
| Rank | Team | Pl | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Floriana Young Stars HC (MLT) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 12 |
| 2 | HC Luxembourg (LUX) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| 3 | Furuset Landhockeyklubb (NOR) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
| 4 | Roslagens IF (SWE) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 7 |
Monday’s schedule
| Time | Teams | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 | FURUSET – AKADEMIK | 5th/7th Place |
| 10:45 | PREDANOVCI – ROSLAGENS | 5th/7th Place |
| 13:00 | YOUNGSTARS – PREDANOVCI | 1st/3rd Place |
| 15:15 | POMORZANIN – HCLUXEMBOURG | 1st/3rd Place |
