Qormi Hockey Club Triumphs In Continental Championship: ‘We Fought Against All Odds And Got The Job Done’
A local hockey team placed first in a continental championship that put some of the toughest teams in Europe under one roof.
The competition – The Euro Hockey Challenge III – was hosted in Kirklareli, Turkey between 3rd and 6th June. There, the Qormi Daiken Hockey Club played against several teams hailing from different countries, and walked away with the trophy itself.
After qualifying for the finals with a second-place finish in their respective group, the Maltese team blazed their way to the end, meeting Hungarian team Epitok in the final.
They butted heads in a close, intense match, and won with a score of 2-1.
The Euro Hockey Challenge is a renowned continental championship in the hockey scene, similar to football’s Champion’s League. It only welcomes teams who placed first in their respective country’s league.
In having won the competition, players in the Qormi club are now promoted to the Euro Hockey Challenge II, which will take place next year.
Should they succeed then, and achieve promotion to the first tier, they will be playing at the ultimate level of world hockey.
Speaking with Lovin Malta was 18-year-old Neil Genovese, one of the youngest players of the team, whose crosshairs now lie only on future success at the next continental championship.
“We did not expect such a great result in Turkey,” he said. “But we fought against all odds and got the job done.”
“We’re looking forward to next year’s competition because we, as a club, have now made history by becoming the first Maltese club to reach this level.”
“The next step is to try and repeat the same success at the next level.”
Lovin Malta congratulates the team and wishes them success in their next European advenure