Lehel HC were a strong opponent; we’re going into the return leg trailing.

Our domestic season kicked off on Wednesday evening, which also marked our debut in the Hungarian Cup. Our opponents at the Győr Ice Sports Centre were a completely revamped Lehel HC, so we were in for an exciting match.

In the first half of the match, we were unable to play our usual technical, long-pass game, although we did create chances; we simply couldn’t capitalise on them. In the 11th minute, Szabó was given a match suspension and, in the same incident, Benedek was also penalised, so we were able to play with a two-man advantage for two minutes, followed by a further three minutes at 5 against 4, but we failed to capitalise on this superb opportunity (in fact, on several occasions the visitors were able to take the puck one-on-one towards the goal), and at this level, that has consequences. Sure enough, in the 17th minute, Győr-born Karda found the back of the net, and the Jászberény side went into the break with the lead.

The first half of the second period was still all about us finding our rhythm; we picked up four penalties in quick succession, but – just like last season – there were no complaints about our defence whilst a man down. In the 33rd minute, Lehel still managed to convert their chance into a goal, with Fedorin finding the net. In the second half of the period, we were able to settle into our own style of play, and the large crowd were treated to some truly fine hockey. Less than a minute before the break, Makovics fired a shot from an impossible angle and the puck bounced in the right direction, but there were no further goals, so the visitors went into the break with a one-goal lead once again.

We started the second half with great vigour, and it paid off: Norbert Lévai managed to equalise in the 43rd minute. Unfortunately, our joy was short-lived; a few minutes later, following a well-worked counter-attack, the visitors regained the lead through Borbát. With two minutes to go, we called a time-out and tried an ‘empty net’ formation, but we lost possession and Popov slotted the puck into the net with Kornakker off his line. In the remaining playing time, we tried this formation once more, but this time, fortunately for us, the visitors failed to hit the target, so the final score remained 2–4.

We had hoped for a better start on home turf, but Lehel HC, fielding six foreign players, showed a completely new side to their game, which already points to an exciting and hard-fought 2023/24 season in the expanded Andersen League.

Next Tuesday’s return leg is in Jászberény; to go through, we need to win by 3 goals (or by 2, if we score more than 4). It won’t be an easy task, but it’s not impossible either!

We’ll be seeing the lads again at home on Saturday (10 July – 18:30), when we’ll be taking on the Sportországi Cápák in the Andersen League.

Come on, UNI GYŐR ETO!

UNI GYŐR ETO HC vs LEHEL HC: 2 – 4 (Hungarian Cup – 1st round) Goalscorers: **#8 Bence Makovics, #15 Norbert Lévai (UNI GYŐR ETO) #21 Karda, #32 Fedorin, #34 Borbát, #97 Popov (LEHEL HC)

We’ve put together a selection of the best photos from the match in our gallery:

Photo: Dr Krisztina Németh-Csigai