Release from 28.11.2017
Exciting one-on-one duels, fast-paced game style, lots of goals, and all kinds of fun: The first unofficial European Pond Hockey Championships, held on Ritten in January 2017, were a one-of-a-kind event. One year later, Ritten wants to top last year's success. On the first weekend of January 2018 (the 5th and 6th), the second annual European Pond Hockey Championships will be held. And the event's committee has been working tirelessly to ensure that the sporting event can once again be a massive hit.
“The aesthetic, the love of sport, and of course, the team commraderie, are the most important aspects of pond hockey,” says Wolfgang Holzner, who is heading the 12-man organizational commitee that runs the tournament. They started the championships, because in their eyes, pond hockey is hockey at its best: no icings, no goalies, no bodychecking, and no slapshots - the fastest team sport in the world brought back to its roots.
64 teams from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, host South Tirol, and the northern regions of Italy, will be expected on the 5th and 6th of January in Klobenstein. Even one team from the US has registered for the tournament, that wants to become a regular in the international tournament landscape.
Three on three – no goalies
During the individual games, 3 players per team will face off against one another, while up to a possible five teammates await a shift on the bench. The games will be played with two small nets and no goalies. A regular round-robin game will last 12 minutes, while semi-final and final games will be 20 minutes. The defending champions, the “Huskies,” who participated in the Gold Division (over 35), were made up of ex-DEL players as well as ex-members of the Italian national team from South Tirol. The “Huskies” won the final game, 10-6, against “Koinshaufla” (from Peißenberg, Bayern). The Top Division (under 35) ended in a South Tirolean duel, which was won by “Pond Selection,” who edged “Pond James Pond” in a tight final game, 3-2.
The winning team travels to the Ice Hockey World Championships in Copenhagen
The second edtition of the European Pond Hockey Championships will take place in only a few weeks from now. And this year, a very special prize awaits the champions: They will recieve tickets to attend a game of the World Championships of Ice Hockey in Copenhagen along with flights and accomodations included. For technically advanced players, the Pond Hockey European Championships will also include a skills competition with numerous prizes to be won.
Celebrating sports and companionship, is a big part of the tournament: Music and entertainment all day long, an AHL game on Saturday evening between the Pustertal Wolves and the Rittner Buam and after the game, the EULE party will be in full swing for a guaranteed good time.