Still unbeaten in the league!

We’d already played an exciting match against Lehel HC from Jászberény in the Hungarian Cup, and now we were set to face them again in the Andersen League. Both teams had remained unbeaten in the league so far, and the stakes were whether we would maintain or lose this unbeaten run.

In the first period, Győr’s dominance was evident right from the start; the lads were able to impose their own style of play on the ice, which bore fruit in the 9th minute, Dániel Csölle fired off a fine long-range shot. Barely a minute and a half later, Norbert Lévai had already doubled our lead, receiving a superb assist from Martin Sipák. Five minutes before the break, we saw a ‘repeat’ of the previous goal, only in reverse: Lévai played an unstoppable pass to Martin Sipák. Twenty seconds later, however, came a ‘wake-up’ goal; the visitors skilfully found a gap in our defence, and Mercurio kept his cool in front of goal. But the period wasn’t over yet; with a man advantage, Nono Lévai managed to pull off a fine solo run, allowing the lads to head into the break with a comfortable three-goal lead.

Head coach Szilárd Rusznyák must have given the Jászberény side some effective instructions during the break, as they came out at a noticeably different pace in the second period. It paid off: Görbe had a clear shot from distance, leaving Kornakker helpless. Shortly afterwards, we found ourselves two men down, a situation we were unable to defend against, and our comfortable lead was reduced to a single goal; it was time for a change of pace. And so it happened: two minutes later, the home crowd were celebrating another goal from Sipák. No further goals were scored in the period, so we went into the break with a two-goal lead.

In the third period, we once again managed to reproduce the confident, dominant performance we’d shown in the first period. We started the final period with a man advantage, and Benedek Madácsi showed no mercy, extending our lead to 3-0 right in the first minute. The Lévai-Sipák ‘duo’ were really on form today; they had a hand in almost every Győr goal, and with five minutes to go they provided another assist, which was neatly finished by Márk Koczkás finished off beautifully, sealing the final score.

We won the top-of-the-table clash in convincing fashion, thereby maintaining our unbeaten run in the Andersen League.

The lads are in for another tough week ahead; the three-day UNI GYŐR HOCKEY CUP II kicks off on Thursday, where we’ll be playing three consecutive matches in the EUHL.

Come on, UNI GYŐR ETO!

UNI GYŐR ETO HC vs Lehel HC: 7 – 3 (AL24) Goalscorers: **#19 Dániel Csölle, #15 Norbert Lévai (2), #7 Martin Sipák (2), #18 Benedek Madácsi, #6 Márk Koczkás (UNI GYŐR ETO) #23 Benjamin Mercurio, #56 Balázs Görbe, #34 Márk Borbát (Lehel)

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

Photo: Dr Krisztina Németh-Csigai