The Hungarian men's national ice hockey team, which will compete in the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division I Group A starting next Sunday, defeated the elite Norwegian team 2-1 in their first match at the Alba Arena in Székesfehérvár. (Central Hungary) Friday.
Nearly 6,000 spectators waited for the match in the brand new, state-of-the-art Alba Arena.
Head coach Don McAdam's team had lost twice heading into the tournament, against Poland last week, but will now take on the top-flight Norwegians.
The Canadian coach stressed beforehand that the national team does not have a star player and did not play as well as expected a week ago, so the team must play against the stronger Norwegians. was.
Photo courtesy of MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt
Foreign players Zombor Galat and Istvan Sofron Mierculea Chuc (Cikzereda, Romania) also joined the team after the end of the club season, leaving Canard Erdeli the only absentee.
At the opening ceremony, Mayor András Čel Palković expressed his gratitude to all those who contributed to the construction and opening of the new arena in recent years. In his speech, Secretary of State for Sports Adam Schmidt highlighted the contribution of Gabor Okskay (former hockey player), who has made a huge contribution to the revival of sports in Székesfehérvár, and through his work, he said that it had been realized. The team participates in international competitions and the national team is now able to play in this beautiful facility.
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Gabor Okskei was perhaps the most famous member of the ice hockey team and was often referred to as the “Hero of Sapporo.” April 19, 2008 will be an unforgettable day for Hungarian hockey fans. On this day, the national team defeated Ukraine 4-2 in the Division I world championship game and advanced to the world's highest level with a perfect record. What is so special is that the Hungarian hockey team has been on the threshold of the world's elite Group A for years, but has never been able to cross it.
Now, exactly 16 years after that infamous day, Székesfehérvár's new stadium has been inaugurated.
Once the game started, the away team quickly took the man advantage, but it was missed. The hosts picked up the pace and midway through the period Roland Kiss injured his shoulder in a tackle and crash. Immediately afterwards, István Terbokci scored the first goal at the Arena. Additionally, Bence Baris, who currently plays in Norway and was named goalkeeper of the season, made a solo save before the break.
Photo courtesy of MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt
At the beginning of the second half the hosts had the man advantage, first the puck bounced into the Norwegian goal, and then Christoph Papp extended the lead with a goal after a great deed. However, he was sent to the penalty bench for interference and, despite a great save from Baliz, Viktor Granholm scored the goal. This was Norway's 100th goal against Hungary.
Although Norway had more control of the ball in the second half, the Hungarian team also defended well and succeeded in creating chances.
Photo courtesy of MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt
The two sides met again on Saturday. The Hungarian men's national ice hockey team won for the second time, this time 3-2, against the Norwegian elite team in Székesfehérvár.
Via MTI; Featured photo by MTI/Szigetváry Zsolt
