That’s the way to start a final on home turf!

The series of the season’s most important matches is upon us, and the Andersen League 2023/24 final kicked off on Tuesday evening! Our opponents are LEHEL HC from Jászberény, whom we’ve faced not only in the league but also in the Hungarian Cup this season; our record against them stood at an encouraging 3–1 ahead of the final. Nevertheless, we knew we would have to give it our all; the team from Jászság had been in excellent form throughout the season, finishing the regular season on the same number of points (50) as our team.

Even before the opening whistle, there was a fantastic atmosphere at the Győr Ice Sports Centre, with nearly 500 supporters cheering on the lads throughout the match as they fought for victory. The young hockey players from our youth club escorted the players onto the ice and listened to the national anthem together with them; they then left the rink to a loud ovation from the crowd, and the match could begin.

We put the visitors under pressure right from the start; the puck spent most of its time in Lehel’s third, and after five minutes we were able to convert our dominance into a goal: Monostori managed to parry Botond Fekete’s long-range shot, but Benedek Madácsi was well positioned and slotted home the rebound to put us ahead. (1–0)

We created several chances in the remaining quarter of an hour of the third period, but the opposition defended well and we were unable to score any more goals. Our defenders successfully neutralised a couple of more dangerous attacks from Jászberény, so the score remained the same going into the break.

In the second half, they managed to break down the defence of Szilárd Rusznyák’s team, and the goals started to flow:

• In the 23rd minute, Márk Nagy set off down the wing at breakneck speed, and Bence Makovics finished the move with composure (2–0)
• A minute and a half later, Márk Almási was the first to break through behind the goal, before firing the rebound into the net with a mid-range shot (3–0)
• Less than three minutes later, another goal followed: Benedek Madácsi aggressively won the puck between two defenders, and he rarely puts a foot wrong when one-on-one with the goalkeeper (4–0)
• A further two minutes later, we managed to ‘lure’ Monostori out of his goal with a dangerous attack, and Botond Fekete recognised the situation perfectly, slotting the puck into the empty net from a tight angle (5–0)
• After a ‘longer break’, Benedek Madácsi made his mark with his long-range shot – which is slowly becoming his trademark – whilst Botond Fekete did an excellent job of blocking the visitors’ goalkeeper’s line of sight (6–0)
• We weren’t bored even in the final minute of the third period; Márk Nagy showed his brilliance, first cutting through Kardán like a knife through butter, then checkmating Monostori as well (7–0)

There was no doubt that those 20 minutes had decided the match; after the break, the visitors also changed their goalkeeper, with Eőry replacing Monostori.

At the start of the final period, Almási played a superb pass to Benedek Madácsi, who made no mistake in scoring his fourth goal of the first match of the final. There were no further goals in the remaining time; you could sense the fatigue in the players, and it was the minor fouls – and resulting send-offs – that took centre stage.

**This match exceeded all our expectations – and indeed our hopes – and, thanks to a game characterised by an exceptional atmosphere, a fast pace and plenty of goals from our side, we have taken the lead in the race for the trophy.

We’ve got another challenge ahead of us in Jászberény on Friday, and on Sunday (14 April) at 6.30 pm we’ll be back on home turf to cheer the team on to victory!**

Come on, UNI GYŐR ETO!

UNI GYŐR ETO HC vs LEHEL HC: 8 – 0(AL172) Goalscorers: **#12 Benedek Madácsi (4), #8 Bence Makovics, #14 Márk Almási, #13 Botond Fekete, #18 Márk Nagy (UNI GYŐR ETO) **–

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

Photo: Dr Krisztina Németh-Csigai