EuroHockey Club Challenge II, Kirklareli Turkey, 2023
After a hard fought season our boys in blue were up for the next challenge, for which they had been preparing for most of they year! The EuroHockey Club Challenge II, Men – Kirklareli , Türkiye.
The tournament was held over four days, a tough physical challenge in and of itself, where the first 3 days decided the placing within the respective groups and the last game was to determine the teams which would be promoted, relegated or retain their competitive level.
No Maltese team had ever competed at this level and our boys excited to get this opportunity!
Our first game was against the Finnish team Vantaa HC (https://www.instagram.com/hcvantaa/) and what a way to start the tournament. The game ended with a score of 9-1 in our favor. It started off with 4 goals within the first quarter, seeing two goals by Christ Agius on the 2nd and 7th minute, another by Benjamin Johnston on the 5th minute and a converted penalty stroke by one of our old wolves Keith Scicluna! The second quarter was a little quieter however our striker Jonathan Borg managed to slot one in on the 16th minute too. During the third quarter the boys ramped it up once more, seeing the younger Plaehn brother Silas slot in a penalty corner in the 35th minute, followed by a field goal from Alessandro Amore on the 37th and a second one for our forward Benjamin Johnston on the 39th! The fourth quarter gave another of our forwards Ryan Dalli the chance to convert in the 49th minute setting us up with an incredible score of 9. Unfortunately we got an unlucky foul and yellow card in the 51st which gave our opponents the chance to convert and bring the game to a close at 9-1.
The second game was against the team from Luxembourg, Luxembourg HC (https://www.instagram.com/luxhockeyclub/) . This match was a tactical one where both teams played a very disciplined and structured game. Our opponents were given a few cards early on in the game which may have put them on the wrong foot allowing our right back Karl Borg to convert in the 16th minute putting our boys in blue ahead 1-0. The rest of the game was highly competitive and very focused however no other actions managed to shift the score in any direction. We are glad to have had very friendly and discussions about subsequent games on the stands with these guys, they are a great bunch!!
The third game of the group stages was played against the team from Sweden, SLF Mesaicos (https://www.instagram.com/mesaicosstockholm/). Once again the blues were up against a talented and structured team. It was a hard fought and balanced game seeing 7 short corners on each side. The first half was a hard fought battle with lots of back and forth hockey on both sides. It seemed like nothing would change but in the third quarter the swedes’ number 7 opened up the score in the 45th minute with a goal from a short corner. Sliema wanted to avoid a loss at all costs, but the Swedish team did a fantastic job keeping their goalpost safe and clean. A final penalty corner in the last minute of the of the game gave Silas Plaehn the opportunity to even out the score at 1-1 with a sly yet effective low shot at goal, sliding just under the keeper, with just 24 seconds left on the clock, securing our place at the top of the group and a shot at promotion.
Our final game was against the Hungarians, Építők HC (https://www.instagram.com/epitok_hc/). This was our chance at promotion into the EuroHockey Club Challenge I for the (MTA 1) team next year!! We knew we had a hard game ahead as this team had shown their strength and grit in the other games we had watched them play! Once again it was a tactical game from the start with both sides playing disciplined and sticking to their strategies. No inch was given over the first 3 quarters, leaving all the excitement to the last 6 minutes of the game. On the 54th the Hungarians opened up the score from a penalty corner. Our boys decided to kick it up a notch and despite tired legs our number 18 Jonathan Borg replied with a fantastic field goal 2 minutes later on the 56th! It seemed like we had a chance at redemption and attempting to secure that place for promotion. However with near nothing left on the clock the opposing team managed to secure another two short corners, the first of which was cleared off the line, however the second came at a striking speed past our rushing defence line and keeper in the 57th minute leaving our boys with a heartbreaking loss of 2-1.
This year it wasn’t to be, but the feedback we got from all the players and technical staff was that this was a tournament which exceeded all expectations on every front! The planning was spectacular and we would like to thank everybody who contributed in any way to help make it as seamless as possible. The professionalism and dedication by the coaching staff and players was outstanding, showing that we are a club worthy of participating and competing at this level of international hockey and with the potential to move local Maltese hockey to an even higher level. Despite not getting one of the top two spots to grant us promotion, the team and club are definitely happy with the positive outcome and even hungrier to go for more next time round!
If you want to see a few more pictures of the tournament head over to our Instagram or Facebook Pages where we have uploaded some shots and videos from the tournament! You can also read more of the coverage of this tournament on local news and sports portals, here, here, here, here and here and on the official hockey tournament portal here
On to the next challenge
#uptheblues