The final battle for Sekeráš Trophy begins. Two Slovak teams will fight for the EUHL champion title

The winner of the current season of the European University Hockey League (EUHL) will definitely be from Slovakia. Among the university hockey teams from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and Romania, two of Slovak teams made it to the finals – defending champion Gladiators Trenčín and the UMB Hockey Team from Banská Bystrica.

The players from Bystrica have had a successful regular season; they finished second. In the case of the EUHL, this means an automatic placement for the semi-finals. In addition, they can also boast the most successful goalkeeper after the regular season. Andrej Julinek excelled with a saves percentage of 93.7%.

The semi-final opponent prepared them well

“Before the New Year, we got going. This was due to the fact that our squad has changed over the last two years and we have approximately 22 players at our disposal. So we varied it and looked for the best form,” said the head coach of the team, Lukáš Opáth. “Right after the New Year, we somehow stabilized and won, more or less, all games. We finished in second place, which was important for us to go to the semi-finals,” he continued.

His players faced the Romanian Sapientia there. “The semi-final series was difficult. I think it could have prepared us very well, because Sapientia played excellently. It was a tough opponent. And, of course, it was also difficult because we had to travel 15 hours for the last game,” said Opáth. The team from Bystrica won the series by 3:0 and made thus a clear step forward to the finals. “We are ready for it and we are looking forward to it. The will will decide. The one who wants the title more will win,” revealed the coach from Bystrica.

Defending champion from Trenčín

The team from Banská Bystrica will fight for the Sekeráš trophy with the Gladiators from Trenčín who are in the position of defending champion. Their strength is underlined by the fact that they won the regular season and they can also boast the point leader – Erik Smolka. In thirteen games during the regular season, he scored 15 goals and assisted in another 14 ones.

Just like the UMB Hockey Team, players from Trenčín went straight to the semi-finals after the regular season. They faced the team from Nitra, which won the opening semi-final game. Afterwards, however, Branislav Jánoš’s players pulled for the longer end and finally won the series by 3:1. “The beginning of the series was more difficult, we lost. However, that gave us a kick, we put our forces together and I would say immodestly that, as I expected, we won the series,” said Jánoš’s assistant Tomáš Volek. “Of course, we feel a certain pressure before the final, since we are in the position of defender. But our goal is to win by 3:0. We respect Banská Bystrica as an opponent, we respect its qualities and I think it will be a very good hockey,” said Volek.

Both finalists are two-time EUHL champions. Victory in the current season will mean, among other things, tilting the championship score in the winner’s favor.

Final games schedule (best-of-three series):

29th March 2024, 6:00 pm, Pavol Demitra Arena in Trenčín

30th March 2024, 5:00 pm, Pavol Demitra Arena in Trenčín

4th April 2024, 6:00 pm, Tipsport Arena in Banská Bystrica

5th April 2024, 6:00 pm, Tipsport Arena in Banská Bystrica

7th April 2024, 5:00 pm, Pavol Demitra Arena in Trenčín