Ice Hockey 2016 - 2017 Discussion Thread

[hckošice 16,613]

Friendly Matches

6th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Austria - Sweden  3-4

Norway - Germany  5-1

Denmark - Slovakia  0-2

Finland U19 - Czech Republic U19  1-3

Czech Republic U18 - Finland U18  4-3 After OT

 

So the World Championships preparations started tonight for us with a valuable win in Denmark. Some positive things from this match. Solid team performance for a first preparation match, many players haven´t played a match for few weeks, so there was many small mistakes in communication between players, too much passes imprecisions. But it´s okay, they have 4 weeks to work together on these things. Also it seems we will have a strong goaltending this year. Julius Hudáček with a perfect match tonight, absolutely calm, caught every puck, he permitted only very few rebounds. very very good, and we still have huge chances that Halák and(or) Budaj will came from NHL this year. so the Goalie looks our strong side this year.

 

In other hand the shooting efficiency was tragic tonight, outshooting Denmark but scored only 2 goals, this is very bad...hopefully we will improve our offensive strength otherwise the tournament might be extremely sorrowful for us...hopefully Michel Miklík will come from Jyväskylä, he is fantastic so far in Finland. we need a striker like him this season.

But the thing I was shocked was the penalty killing sequence. we were just atrocious, absolutely awful...each Denmarks power play was disastrous for us, we were terrible, practically Denmark spend all powerplays in our zone shooting on our goal, we couldn´t touch the puck even for few seconds...now I don´t know if Denmark is so aweso e on pwer plays or our PK are really so shitty...this is definitely what to work on next camps for our team, because if we play shorthanded like we did tonight we will not go far at all in Cologne...

 

Btw to mention it was interesting to see a match in Denmark and every time the camera showed the stands, I saw only slovak fans with slovak flags dancing and singing like we played at home or so well next test match again in Denmark on Saturday

[Pavlo 149]

8 godzin temu, hckosice napisał:

Friendly Matches

7th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Poland - Slovakia "B"  1-6

Latvia - Belarus  1-0

Hungary - Finland  1-6

 

@Pavlo Poland goal of Aron Chmielewski

 

 

and his interview after the match...I really tried to understand what he said, but oh dear he speaks so fast that it´s almost impossible to understand a single word 

 

  Odkryj ukrytą treść

 

1-6 tells all about world of difference i was mentioning

Edited April 8, 2017 by Pavlo

[hckošice 16,613]

2 hours ago, Pavlo said:

1-6 tells all about world of difference i was mentioning

 

I still think this score and match wasn´t a real difference, your players haven´t played for a while a match, they had just trainings last few weeks. It was just one match, and after I made a quick look in the statistics, It clearly wasn´t a one-sided game. our youngs had great shooting efficiency and Poland had too much penalties, this made the difference.

and it´s still only one match, today is scheduled the second match and It might end up quite differently.

[hckošice 16,613]

@Pavlo Poland won 5-1 today so what about those different worlds ?

 

http://pzhl.tv/polacy-rozbili-slowacje-51-udany-rewanz-bialo-czerwonych/

[hckošice 16,613]

Friendly Matches

8th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships

Denmark - Slovakia  0-2

Latvia - Belarus  0-3

France - Switzerland  3-4

Norway - Germany  5-2

 

Other Matches

Poland - Slovakia "B"  5-1

 

Road to Under 18 World Championships

Slovakia U18 - Czech Republic U18  4-5

Switzerland U18 - Belarus U18  2-1

[hckošice 16,613]

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

2016/2017

 

  AUSTRIA

VIENNA CAPITALS

2nd EBEL League Title

 

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Vienna takes historic path

Capitals take EBEL without losing a playoff game

 

For the Vienna Capitals, the pressure for something special had been building over the course of several weeks, if not months, and now something very seldom in the world of ice hockey has become their reality.

Not only are the Vienna Capitals the new champion of the EBEL by defeating Klagenfurt 4-0 in the finals, they have achieved this by going undefeated throughout the entire playoffs.

This is the team’s first national title since the 2004/05 season.

“It’s been a simply crazy season in which we improved from game to game, having been at the top of the standings right from the beginning,” said an elatedly exhausted Raffi Rotter, a 10-year veteran of the club, who netted his second goal and 16th point of the playoffs before the five minute mark of the first period. “Winning here with this crowd is just crazy. Of course, it’s not comparable to the crowd in Vienna, but it’s a crazy feeling being on the road and having so many of our fans experience this moment with us. This is just an incredible thing right now.”

The two finalists kicked off the fourth and final game by exchanging leads in establishing a 2-2 draw within the first 19:09 of the contest. A second-period goal on a precise wrist shot by defenceman Ryan MacKiernan, his second tally of the playoffs, was then followed by a suffocating defensive display and several friendly posts over the last 34 minutes of the game, sealing off Vienna’s historic run with a 3-2 road victory.

MacKiernan’s lethal shot could only be topped by his post-game statement when asked how the team would be spending the night after this victory: “I think we’re going to head back home to get a good night’s sleep. Ah, no way, it’s going to be nuts! Thank you.”

But he sure wasn’t the only hero in putting the nail in the coffin. One of the interesting side stories was the play of back-up goalie David Kickert, an unassuming 23-year-old who has been with the organization since the 2009/10 season. Averaging 17 appearances a season over the past three years, he was called to action twice during the playoffs, including tonight’s series-clinching thriller, and only went about recording an astounding 95.2 save percentage and 0.96 goals against average in those two games.

This only seemed fitting for an organization that continually got contributions across the board and a young man who is felt to truly be on the rise in Austrian ice hockey, affirmed by his having been named the YoungStar before the playoffs. This award serves to honour the young talent in the league who took the greatest step in development.

The fashion in which the Capitals garnered this championship, winning every single one of their 12 playoff games, hasn’t been seen in quite some time, topping the already impressive 12 wins in 13 games achieved by Red Bull Salzburg in the 2014/15 season.

The victory also breaks the streak of two straight championships by the Red Bull Salzburg. This streak was actually already discontinued by Klagenfurt, whose march to the finals came somewhat unexpectedly on the heels of a 4-2 semi-final series victory over Salzburg, a team that had gathered 23 more points than Klagenfurt in the course of the regular season and qualification round. The veteran-laden KAC, as they are affectionately known, turned up its game when it mattered most and hoped to magically win their 6th championship in this century. The fairy tale ending would nonetheless belong to Vienna this season.

Klagenfurt’s path to the final included 4-0 series victory over Znojmo and then the rough and tumble 4-2 win over Salzburg while Vienna marched over Innsbruck and the Italian Bolzano Foxes undefeated in making the final. Despite a 4-0 series domination, the series was tighter than you’d initially expect. The games themselves ended with scores of 4-1, 5-4 (OT), 7-5, and now 3-2. The 7-5 victory included an empty netter, going to show that Klagenfurt kept itself in every game and never went down without a fight.

For both head coach Serge Aubin and assistant coach Craig Streu this season has been quite a wild ride. This time last year, both were wrapping up their seasons in Germany; Aubin with the DEL’s now defunct Hamburg Freezers, Streu with the Neuwied Bears, formerly of the Oberliga. Both hit the offseason already focused on a huge 2016/17 season with their respective clubs, however, still fully in the employ of their respective teams. Both ended up facing a shocking scenario in which their teams completely exited their respective leagues. As widely reported, there is no more Hamburg Freezers. The Neuwied Bears simply pulled out of the Oberliga in what became a shockingly controversial story and are now rebuilding their team in one of Germany’s western regional leagues.

In short, neither could have fathomed at this point last spring that they’d be coaching in Austria, much less winning the EBEL championship.

“It ended up being a wonderful season right from day one,” stated an elated Serge Aubin. “We went about establishing a new identity and putting together these 12 wins in a row is just unbelievable. We were a family where everyone pulled the line and anything was possible.”

“I was part of a fantastic group of people this year. We all worked hard together and it ended up all being worth it."

For assistant coach Craig Streu, whose son is currently suiting up for Germany’s U18 entry at the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A in Bled, Slovenia, the experience has been nothing short of a fantastic journey. “I’m just feeling so good right now. I‘ve had to ask Serge if this really happening," recalls Streu.

“We are both so happy and proud of this season. For both of us it's our first championship as coaches and will always have a special place in our hearts. This group we had was one of a kind and even early in this season, we had a great feeling that we had the right pieces to go all the way.”

A Saskatchewan-native, who is also a former member of the German national team himself, Streu put the events of the past year, and Vienna’s accomplishments, into perspective. “The fact that both our teams dropped out for financial reasons in Germany and Serge and I ended up in Austria together to win a championship is truly amazing. But the situation is also something as a coach you can react to. It is just like being able to change your tactics during a game; you are always prepared for something and in this business we all know anything can happen."

“We were able to come together, establish our hockey culture and core values here in Vienna and the group really bought in. If you have a group that believes and you can get some momentum, anything is possible. Everything worked for us and the work everyone put it was rewarded."

Of course, this championship story couldn’t have been written without the vast contributions of forward Riley Holzapfel. After three rather mild seasons in the SHL, he pulled a ‘veni, vidi, vici’ of his own this season in Austria. Already named the league’s MVP before the finals, he was also named the Playoff MVP on the strength of 12 goals and 23 points in the 12-game journey. But that naturally was only the icing on the cake.

“I was asked about that in the middle of the series. It simply wouldn’t have been a complete or perfect season unless we got this championship. The MVP honour just tops everything off,” explained an elated Holzapfel. “It’s been a special ride all season and I’m just so happy we finished it off the right way.”

The former second round pick of the now defunct Atlanta Thrashers concluded the year with 34 goals, 42 assists, 76 points, and a +25 in 65 total games.

For the Vienna Capitals organization, there’ll be a good bit of celebrating and surely a variety of recognition events coming from various establishments around Vienna and Austria. Many players will go on vacation while a few others may report to the national team.

But all will head into the offseason knowing they made history this spring. As Streu sums up, “This is great group of guys who smashed League records all season and never lost focus on the big prize... and we earned it!”

They sure did. And with that undefeated path to the championship, they did so like few have before them.
 

 

[hckošice 16,613]

Friendly Matches

9th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships

France - Switzerland  3-2 After OT

 

[hckošice 16,613]

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

2016/2017

 

  POLAND

CRACOVIA KRAKOW

12th League Title

 

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The million Zloty goal

Cracovia retains PHL title and keeps streak alive

The million Zloty goal: Cracovia Krakow wins Polish title in Game 7 coming back from 3-1 deficit in series.

 

Sports has its own undefinable laws. Polish hockey has one itself too. Since 2006, Cracovia Krakow and GKS Tychy have duelled for the Polish Hockey League title six times. For the sixth time Cracovia comes out on top leaving their rivals empty handed.

It was a rare lapse in concentration in an otherwise tight match. Less than a minute into overtime of game seven, Petr Sinagl was left all alone on centre ice receiving a pass from Damian Kapica. The Czech veteran sniper made no mistake and found a hole between the legs of Tychy netminder Stefan Zigardy with many fans still finding their way back to their seats; 2-1.

Sinagl’s goal not only meant an instant finish of the game but also completed a remarkable comeback in the 2016/17 Polish Hockey League final series. Being the top seed after having won the regular season, GKS Tychy took a commanding lead winning both games on home ice; 3-2 and 4-2 before the best-of-seven series moved to Krakow.

GKS Tychy were full of confidence entering game 3, not just boosted by the two earlier victories but also knowing that they had defeated their rivals five times during the regular season as well as in the Polish Cup final. Add to that an early 1-0 lead in game three and all the ingredients for a classic case of underestimation were present.

Not impressed by the early goal, Cracovia hit back hard with seven goals in less than 30 minutes to take make it a 7-2 lead, leaving the two late Tychy goals merely having statistical value. The 7-4 loss was supposed to be a wake-up call for the team of Czech GKS head coach Jiri Sejba.

Within a minute of game 4, they took the lead and won the all-important fourth game of the series and put themselves in an excellent position to win the league.

The reigning champions were not going to admit defeat that easily though and fought back with an away win themselves in game 5; 4-2 before tying up the series with another 4-2 victory that made a seventh game necessary to decide on the 2016/17 PHL finals outcome.

“It showed that we perform best when we have a knife on our throats,” commented Cracovia coach Rudolf Rohacek afterwards. “We are then able to show what character the lads are made of.”

Hockey in Krakow and Rudolf Rohacek are a match made in heaven. The 54-year-old Czech head coach arrived in one of Poland’s most beautiful cities 13 years ago and has been very successful ever since. To date the coach has won no less than 509 games resulting in seven league titles, two silver and two bronze medals. His resume also boasts two Polish Cup trophies and as many Polish Super Cups. No wonder Cracovia fans were delighted to hear Rohacek had extended his contract with the club for another three seasons.

One of the key members of Rohacek’s squad is goaltender Rafal Radziszewski, who has been part of each of championship-winning team led by the Czech coach.

“We have shown everyone you can’t break Cracovia,” said the 35-year-old goalie who kept his team in the series during the playoffs. “GKS Tychy had prepared everything for a celebration after game 5 and the arena was packed with noisy home fans but we weren’t in the mood for a party and didn’t give them a chance to cross that last “T”. We won that game and believed we were able to turn this series around.”

Cracovia now is also automatically qualified for the 2017/18 Champions Hockey League again being Poland’s representative. Last year’s CHL debutantes didn’t fare too well, losing all their games against Czech giants Sparta Prague and Sweden’s Farjestad Karlstad but Rohacek is looking forward to next year’s competition.

“Last year was great in terms of learning what is asked for at that level. Even though we lost all our games I believe we played some good games,” said Rohacek. “With that experience under our belts I’m confident we can do better next season.”

Players and fans in Tychy were arguing the value of yet another silver medal. All Polish teams would be proud of such an achievement other than Cracovia and GKS Tychy. All the more if one team has to feel the burden of carrying the load of six silver medals.

By retaining the Polish title, Cracovia now has 12 titles to show for and they will be rewarded with the largest ever bonus in Polish hockey history.

“We will stick to our promise to make one million Zloty (approx. €237,000) available to be split among the team,” team president Janusz Filipiak confirmed.

It is probably the most valuable shot Petr Sinagl has ever released from his stick in his career.

 

[hckošice 16,613]

Friendly Matches

11th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships

Slovenia - Hungary  2-1

[hckošice 16,613]

Friendly Matches

12th April 2017

 

Mens

 

Road to World Championships

Czech Republic - Norway  4-0