The Swedish tournament newcomers Rögle BK secured their place in the small final of the 17th Dolomitencup in Neumarkt on Sunday afternoon. They beat the record winners, the Augsburg Panthers, 3:0. The big final between HC Davos and Dynamo Pardubice is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the Würtharena.
It was a duel of opposites that took place on Sunday afternoon in the stadium in Neumarkt. On one side were the Augsburg Panthers, who were taking part in the Dolomitencup for the tenth time and have already won five tournaments. On the other side, Rögle BK, who were the first Swedish team ever to take part in the prestigious preparatory tournament in the south of South Tyrol. The fact that the victory ultimately went to the Scandinavians was mainly down to goalkeeper Petr Kvaca, who witched Rögle to victory with a shutout and made some outstanding saves.
Wait and see? Not with the Augsburg Panthers and Rögle BK. The two teams went at full speed from the very first second and didn’t give each other an inch on the ice of the Würtharena. Less than two minutes had elapsed before the goal was already in the bag. After Rögle won the puck energetically, the disc came to former NHL crack Dennis Everberg, who beat Augsburg goalie Markus Keller just a few metres from the goal.
The waters run high
In the second period, a good portion of sharpness was added to the good tempo. The pace on the ice became tougher (Rögle’s Samuel Jonsson had to leave the ice with an injury after a check), the packs became more frequent, the cool boxes fuller – and the 827 fans in the Würtharena got louder and louder. But it was the two goalkeepers who put on the big show in this period: Rögle’s Kvaca thwarted Chris Collins’ great chance to equalise with a monster save (32nd), while Augsburg’s Keller proved with several strong saves that he is still in top form at the age of 34.
Keller was also repeatedly put to the test in the final period. Rögle had now completely taken control and hardly gave Augsburg any time to catch their breath. The result? The Swedes struck twice. First Adam Tambinelli placed the disc in Augsburg’s box with a direct shot (43′), then Albin Sundsvik outmuscled the opposing goalie in a very tight space to make the final score 3:0. Despite the defeat, Augsburg’s passionate fans celebrated for several minutes after the match – once again there was a goosebump atmosphere in Neumarkt.
The grand final is coming up
So the small final is over and the big final is about to take place. The traditional Swiss club HC Davos and the defending Dolomitencup champions Dynamo Pardubice will face off in the Würtharena at 8 pm.
