The 18th edition of the Dolomitencup is history. The final day of the prestigious ice hockey preparation tournament took place in Neumarkt/South Tyrol on Sunday – and the big winner is EHC Kloten. The Swiss first division team won the final against DEL club Löwen Frankfurt 4:0.
It was in the distant summer of 2015 when EHC Kloten came to the Dolomitencup for the first time and immediately hit the jackpot, i.e. won the title. It then took nine years for the Zurich team to find its way back to the South Tyrolean lowlands – and impressively confirmed the 100 per cent quota on its comeback. Once again, the winner’s trophy went into the hands of captain Steve Kellenberger, who had already been involved in the 2015 triumph.
Two participations, two triumphs – Kloten and the Dolomitencup, that just fits. The final against Löwen Frankfurt, who had won the first three editions of the prestigious pre-season tournament, had everything a final needs. Toughness, speed, beautiful goals and great tension for a long time. In short, the almost 1,000 spectators in the sold-out Würtharena were treated to the best ice hockey advert. Not least because the fans who travelled with them created a great atmosphere.
An open exchange of blows for a long time
It took less than five minutes on Sunday evening for things to get really loud for the first time in the pretty Neumarkt ice rink. Kloten’s Nolan Diem found the gap from an acute angle and gave Frankfurt goalie Cody Brenner the slip. Brenner took his place between the posts in the final, giving Frankfurt’s star acquisition and Olympic champion Jussi Olkinuora a breather.
Frankfurt’s reaction came in the middle third. Driven by former Stanley Cup champion Charter Rowney, the cracks from the financial metropolis took control of the game, but were unable to score. Instead, Kloten struck ice-cold in the final period. In the powerplay, the best player of the evening, Tyler Morley, smashed the disc directly under the crossbar to make it 2:0 (44′). Frankfurt then threw everything forward, but conceded two goals. Thomas Gregoire’s hammer hit the Frankfurt net like a comet (57′), then Reto Schäppi scored into the empty net (60′).
Kometa Brno takes “bronze”
The small final had already taken place in the Würtharena in the afternoon. The Czech first division team Kometa Brno celebrated a 7:1 victory over the “local hero” HC Pustertal (ICE Hockey League). The outstanding player on the ice was the newly crowned Czech world champion Jan Scotka, who scored twice.
Lions Frankfurt – EHC Kloten 0:4
Frankfurt: Brenner (Schumacher); Kirichenko-Matushkin, Lauridsen-McNeill, Wirt-Maginot, Bidoul; Bokk-Froberg-Schweiger, Brace-Rowney-Napravnik, Lobach-Pfaffengut-Proft, Tripcke-Burns-Cimmerman
Coach: Tom Rowe
Kloten: Waeber (Zurkirchen); Sidler-Profico, Gregoire-Wolf, Thomas Kellenberger-Steve Kellenberger, Deussen-Steiner; Simic-Aaltonen-Audette, Rafael Meier-Morley-Ramel, Smirnovs-Schappi-Dario Meyer, Weibel-Diem-Marchon
Coach: Lauri Marjamäki
Referees: Andrea Moschen, Turo Virta
Goals: 0:1 Nolan Diem (4.41), 0:2 Tyler Morley (43.10), 0:3 Thomas Gregoire (56.04), 0:4 Reto Schäppi (59.42)
Spectators: 978 (sold out)
MVP: Brenner (Frankfurt), Morley (Kloten)
Photo: Max Pattis
