Men’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Challenge II (Vantaa, Finland)
Valhalla went the distance in an epic final shoot-out to win the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Club Challenge II in Vantaa, eventually getting gold in the third round of sudden death.
It followed a thrilling final in which the Swedish club recovered from 2-0 down against Oslo SK going into the final quarter to lead 3-2 with three minutes to go only for the Norwegian side to level.
In the shoot-out, the first series of three ended level with the tie finally decided in round six by Anders Magnusson and a final save from goalkeeper Mykyta Kriuchkov.
For Valhalla team Kristian Yacoub, he said of the success: “It feels very good, we are so proud of team. We have been in a bit of a slump in Sweden lately, so this is a nice confirmation for the team.
“We think the team evolved during the tournament and started playing better. Our goal for the tournament was to get promoted and win the gold. So to summarise it, it was a very good performance of the team and we and our club at home in Sweden are proud.
“And we want to give big thank you to the organisers, oppositions and everyone involved for a great tournament.”
For Oslo, they led from the outset with Talha Asif Sheikh scoring in the second minute and Hussein Zafar doubled their total in Q2.
It remained that way through Q3 as the Swedes were unable to make use of a series of penalty corners.
That was until Valhalla struck three times in a four minute spell with Vilmer Karlsson netting either side of one from Jakob Juul. Sheikh, however, sent the game to a shoot-out with a late goal.
The shoot-out also saw Norway edge in front 2-1 but Yacoub levelled in round three to go to sudden death where Magnusson and goalkeeper Mykyta Kriuchkov proved the heroes.
Player of the tournament: Talha Asif Sheikh (Oslo SK)
Goalkeeper of the tournament: Paavo Ondreka (Vantaa HC)
Leading goalscorer: Vilmer Karlsson (Valhalla LHK) – 9 goals
Final rankings
- Valhalla LHK (SWE)
- Oslo SK (NOR)
- Vantaa HC (FIN)
