posted
Ooops again, I got my days mixed up. The sixth games in the quarter-finals were played last night, and all three away teams won, which means that all the quarter-finals are now decided. Kärpät beat Ilves in Hakametsä, 1-2 in extra time, the game notable for being the last of 43 year old Raimo Helminen's long, long career. Jokerit won in Lahti, 4-5 also in extra time, but Tappara had a more comfortable victory in Jyväskylä, 2-6.
So, the top four placed league clubs are through to the semi-finals, and the pairings, both of which should be tight and could easily go either way, look like this:
Kärpät v Tappara Blues v Jokerit
Posts: 1406 | From: Pohjois-Pohjanmaa | Registered: May 2002
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posted
Right chaps, internet busted up until today so here is the latest situation before today's round of games.
LNB final CdF wins away to Bienne and series is now 2-1 for the Seelanders. 6600 there including a couple of thousands from CdF.
LNA playouts, Ambri can go on holiday after trashing Basel 4-0 in the series. Probably tactical from the hopeless Rhine dwellers.
In the playoffs, Zurich beats Davos and leads now 3-1 whilst Fribourg give themselves some hope by beating Servette at home but the Genevans are still 3-1 up in the series. Both games were sold out.
Posts: 16714 | From: Outskirts of Manchester | Registered: May 2002
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LNA semis, as you might have gathered, today Servette beat, easily, Fribourg (who spent their last remnants of energy saturday to beat us) and thus win the series 4-1 to qualify for the final for the first time in our history.
The other semis is lead 3-2 by Zurich against Davos and I hope it carries on till game 7...
Posts: 16714 | From: Outskirts of Manchester | Registered: May 2002
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posted
Alba Volan wrap up the Hungarian championship with a 4-0 sweep, and then Sport Club finish off the Romanian championship with a similar result.
HC have managed in their first season as a team in contention to finish second in both Hungary and Romania which is a pretty impressive achievement.
The rink has now been taken over with the IIHF Women's World Championship (division IV), featuring traditional ice hockey powerhouses South Africa, New Zealand, Estonia, Turkey, Iceland and Romania.
Next month we have the men's world championship Division II, which apparently features Ireland. I know this because some bloke contacted me asking for hotel and other advice.
[ 25.03.2008, 08:01: Message edited by: ad hoc ]
Posts: 14456 | From: Magyaristan | Registered: May 2002
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Does the IIHF claim some kind of jurisdiction over club hockey the way FIFA claims jurisdiction over club football?
If so, why does the IIHF not have a problem with these Hungarian clubs playing in two leagues? It's the kind of thing that would give FIFA conniptions.
Posts: 1762 | From: the further reaches of sleep deprivation | Registered: Sep 2007
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Gramsci, I think the IIHF claims that authority, but is much more willing to recognise that it doesn't have it in reality. One can start with the fact that the NHL doesn't play according to IIHF rules and go from there. My sense is that they are willing to accept these multiple league arrangements (two Slovene teams also compete in the Austrian league) in the hope of improving the standard of play overall.
Teams in the Division IIA World Championships chez ad hoc: Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Israel, Romania, Serbia. Division IIA is actually part of the third division (behind the "Top Division" with the good teams who will be playing in the recognised "World Championships" in Halifax and Quebec City, and Division I, which is also split into two groups).
Posts: 18670 | From: mediolanum | Registered: Jan 2006
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Urs, do you know if those Slovene teams play in two leagues like the Hungarian one ad hoc mentions, or do they just play in an extra-territorial league?
Posts: 1762 | From: the further reaches of sleep deprivation | Registered: Sep 2007
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The argument they seem to use is that playing in a higher standard league has the effect of raising the standard in their "home" league, thus benefitting hockey in general. This is certainly true of Romania, where having the two teams play in the Hungarian league (a slightly higher standard league that Romania's) has raised the quality of the Romanian league. Steaua have an open invitation to participate in the Hungarian league too, but have so far declined to accept. They might now be thinking that they will need to to remain competitive.
It hasn't worked out quite the same with Alba Volan playing in Austria, I think mostly because the difference in standards is just too great. Alba Volan have finished way last in Austria, but come home and easily cleaned up in Hungary. I'm not sure if there's any benefit there to the Hungarian league.
Posts: 14456 | From: Magyaristan | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I think the Slovenian teams, like Alba Volan, play in the Austrian league and their own.
Posts: 14456 | From: Magyaristan | Registered: May 2002
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posted
In previous years, by the way, there was something called Interliga, in which the top couple of clubs from Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia played against each other while also playing in their own league. I'm not quite sure why it got dumped in favour of the Austrian option this year, and what has happened to the Croatian teams.
Posts: 14456 | From: Magyaristan | Registered: May 2002
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posted
How do they actually manage playing in two leagues? Don;t they have scheduling conflicts? Do they have the equivalent of two squads?
Posts: 1762 | From: the further reaches of sleep deprivation | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
Olimpija Ljubljana and the team from Jesenice (whose name I forget) have teams in both leagues, though I don't know how much of an overlap there is in rosters.
Olimpija are in the final of the Austrian championship.
Posts: 18670 | From: mediolanum | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Alba Volan used two squads - their second string squad finished second bottom of the Hungarian league and then the first string came back for the playoffs which they won comfortably.
SC and HC from here basically got by on one squad each. The matches were scheduled around each other. In some cases the matchups between the two counted for both leagues simultaneously
Posts: 14456 | From: Magyaristan | Registered: May 2002
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