Fourteen clubs move a step closer to men’s promotion – day three round-up

Fourteen clubs already have their tickets booked for the men’s EuroHockey Club promotion playoff places with a number of first place showdowns already set to take place on Sunday. Here’s […]

The post Fourteen clubs move a step closer to men’s promotion – day three round-up appeared first on European Hockey Federation.

Fourteen clubs already have their tickets booked for the men’s EuroHockey Club promotion playoff places with a number of first place showdowns already set to take place on Sunday.

Here’s the lowdown on what happened on Saturday in the four Whitsun events!

Men’s Club Trophy II – Banbridge (IRL)

In Pool A, TJ Plzen-Litice edged out Gaziantep Polisgücü 2-1 to make sure they will top the group and advance to the promotion matches on Monday. They did fall behind six minutes in to an Ali Aklin Özkiliç goal but swift replies from Adam Uhlír and Eduard Gerlicky turned the game around.

They can now enjoy their rest day waiting to see who will emerge from Pool B as their opponent while Gaziantep and Copenhagen meet with second place on the line.

In Pool B, Banbridge and HAHK Mladost advanced with high scoring wins. Bann have the stronger goal difference as they beat SG Amsicora ASD 7-1, captain Johnny McKee netting a hat trick.

Mladost were too good for Swansea with Vitalii Kalinchuk scoring twice – the second when his side was short-handed amid a flurry of cards – while Josip Jazbec, Teo Dabić and Fran Zlatar all scored in a 5-1 success.

Bann and Mladost meet on Sunday to determine who plays who in Monday’s promotion matches; likewise, Amsicora and Swansea will play to see who finishes third and fourth.

** Follow all results, pools, and game stats below from the EuroHockey Club Trophy II, Men in Banbridge

Men’s Club Challange I – Sveti Ivan Zelina (CRO)

In Pool B, Grammarians assured their place in the promotion games as they picked up a losing bonus point against table-toppers AD Lousada, keeping them out of range of chasers Polisportiva Ferrini Cagliari ASD.

It was a nervous situation as Lousada went 2-0 in the first half and were 3-1 clear of the Gibraltar side when Carlos Almeida scored his second goal of the event. But it remained that way for the last 25 minutes for an outcome which saw both teams advance.

For the Cagliari side, they got their first win of the tournament with a 4-2 victory over HK Lipovci to finish in third place with the Slovenian side fourth.

In Pool A, KS Pomorzanin Torun completed a clean sweep of their group stage with a 6-1 victory over Hungary’s Soroksári – Olcote HC with Dmytro Luppa’s double bringing his personal total to five goals.

That left hosts Zelina in a straight battle with Šiauliai Ginstrekte ŠSG for second place with the Croats needing a draw and the Lithuanians a win.
It went down to the wire as Ginstrekte somehow scored when down to nine players in the 53rd minute only for Zelina to equalise in the last minute via Petar Bahlen. That made it 1-1 and sent the hosts into raptures.

They will now face AD Lousada while Pomorzanin Torun are up against Grammarians.

** Follow all results, pools, and game stats below from the EuroHockey Club Challenge I, Men in Sveti Ivan Zelina

All games are available to re-watch on www.eurohockeytv.org 

Men’s Challenge II – Kirklareli (TUR)

Sliema Hotsticks are through to the top four crossovers with a game to spare thanks to Karl Borg’s single goal which earned them a 1-0 win over HC Luxembourg.

It added to their big win over Vantaa on day one and when the Finnish side drew 3-3 with SLF Mecaicos, the combination left Sliema six points clear in the table. 

For Mesaicos and Vantaa, the draw keeps both in contention in their European debuts. The Swedish side led 2-0 with 14 minutes to go before an incredible hat trick from Elmeri Rihtilä in five minutes saw the Finnish side record their first ever result. 

On Sunday, Luxembourg (three points) meet Vantaa (two points) while Mesaicos are on four ahead of their game with Sliema, making for a fascinating endgame.

In Pool B, thinks look more clear-cut with Építök beating MASK 9-1 while Nizip Zeugma SK were 8-2 winners over Triglav Predanovci. It means the Hungarians and Turks are assured of progression regardless of how their Sunday meeting goes while Triglav and MASK will be in the relegation playoffs.

** Follow all results, pools, and game stats below from the EuroHockey Club Challenge II, Men in Kirklareli, Türkiye

Men’s Club Challange III – Gibraltar (GIB)

Santeri Määntänen’s incredible weekend continued as he scored the winner for HC Klippari for a third successive game inside the closing minutes.

In game one, he scored in the 59th minute; day two in the 58th and today in a 4-3 success against Norway’s Furuset, he did it in the 57th minute to complete a hat trick.

That completed a perfect Pool A series; they were followed into the promotion playoffs by Zuvedra Tauras who pinned down their spot when a brilliant third quarter run of four goals in eight minutes powered them to a 6-3 win over The Wolves.

Before then, the tie was well poised at 2-2 with the Wolves needing a win to try and overhaul their Lithuanian opponents. That run – with two goals from Edvin Stankevic – put Zuvedra out of sight. 

Klippari will face Qormi Daikin who clung on to record a 5-5 draw against FHC Akademik Plus Sofia. The Maltese side needed to avoid defeat to get through but they were behind three times before Zachary De Giovanni’s hat trick helped put them 4-3 up in the 44th minute. Akademik kept fighting back, levelling at 4-4 and 5-5 via Georgi Baklev with 10 minutes to go but Qormi held on to the precious draw.

Eagles were already assured of top spot and they duly won 6-1 against Valhalla, albeit they were made to work hard. It was level after three quarters but five goals in the final quarter – including a Kyle Davis hat trick – saw them spin clear.

Eagles will now face Zuvedra Tauras in their promotion tie while the crossover matches see Bulgarian duo Akademik and The Wolves meet while Norway’s Furuset take on Sweden’s Valhalla.

** Follow all results, pools, and game stats below from the EuroHockey Club Challenge III, Men in Gibraltar

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