Roaring into the final: On Saturday, Löwen Frankfurt from Germany won the second semi-final of the 19th edition of the Dolomitencup against Vålerenga Oslo (Norway) with a score of 4:1. In the final on Sunday at 8 p.m., they will face the Czech vice-champions Dynamo Pardubice.
On Friday, Dynamo Pardubice lit up the scoreboard in the first semi-final against EV Landshut, leaving their opponents no chance with a 7-0 victory. The second semi-final on Saturday was not as one-sided for long, but the many fans were treated to 50 minutes of excitement and emotion in the match between Vålerenga Oslo and Löwen Frankfurt. In the end, the Hessian DEL club prevailed 4-1 against the Norwegian record champions thanks to a ‘finale furioso’ and will now compete in the Dolomitencup final.
After a largely uneventful first period, the match really heated up in the second. This was mainly because Vålerenga fan favourite Jørgen Karterud broke the deadlock after 23 minutes. With his team on the power play, the veteran cleverly guided the puck into the far corner, sending the two dozen fans who had travelled from the far north into raptures. Vålerenga now seemed to have everything under control and bombarded Frankfurt goalie Cody Brenner with shots. But in one of the most delicate situations – i.e. while shorthanded – the Lions managed to equalise. Matthew Wedman broke through on a counterattack, Cameron Brace was on hand for the rebound – and suddenly it was 1-1 (33rd minute).
Emotions and a ‘finale furioso’
At that point, the game was no longer just about the excitement, but also about the many rough tackles and emotions. And so the stars on the ice got into several fights, turning the almost sold-out Würtharena into a real cauldron. Pre-season? No way!
Until then, the match had been on a knife edge, but in the final period Frankfurt kicked into high gear and turned the game around. First, Wedman poked the puck over the line after a shot by Daniel Pfaffengut (48th minute), then Chris Wilkie caught Vålerenga goalie Mathias Arnkværn off guard with a blue-liner (50th minute). Michael Joyaux finally sealed the deal on a power play (54th minute) – this was Frankfurt’s third goal scored by the special teams.
Now comes the final day
The big final day of the Dolomitencup is now upon us. On Sunday, Vålerenga Oslo and EV Landshut will face off for third place at 3:45 p.m., followed by Dynamo Pardubice and Löwen Frankfurt battling for the title at 8 p.m. Pardubice currently holds two Dolomitencup trophies, while Frankfurt has three. Fans can look forward to a real treat.
Löwen Frankfurt – Vålerenga Oslo 4:1
Frankfurt: Brenner (Pantkowski); Maksim Matushkin-Pasanen, Bidoul-Joyaux, Niehus-McKiernan, Fabio Kose; Lilja-Fröberg-Dunham, Wilkie-Wedman-Brace, Timo Kose-Pfaffengut-Schweiger, Proft-Burns-Lobach
Coach: Tom Rowe
Vålerenga: Arnkværn (Vuotilainen); Larsson-Ekelund, Oscar Matushkin-Nilsen, Koch-Bøen Rokseth, Bjerke-Mowe; Mathis Olimb-Ken Olimb-Caamano, Karterud-McLaughlin-Kalterud, Røymark-Halmrast-Christiansen, Finstad-Brekke-Torrissen, Kokkim
Coach: Roy Johansen
Goals: 0:1 Jørgen Karterud (22:47), 1:1 Cameron Brace (32:20), 2:1 Matthew Wedman (47:25), 3:1 Chris Wilkie (49:56), 4:1 Michael Joyaux (53:31)
MVP: Brenner (Frankfurt), Torrissen (Vålerenga)
Referees: Moschen, Pinié
Attendance: 723
Photo: Max Pattis
