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Before the start of the Baltic/Latvian hockey league, I found quite a lot of intrigues that could make this tournament more beautiful. First of all, intrigues arise in the duels of all four of our leading teams. And if intrigue is not really there, as it was in the game between “Mogo” and “Zemgales” (1:5), then they can be found near the field.
If in the starting match of the championship in Jelgava, Mogi unfairly did not get at least a point, then the return match in Shmerli practically went to one goal – the guarded goal of Henry Ancs. Bang, bang! So can it be called a one-goal game if the losers shoot 18 in the third period and the winners only score twice, with one of those shots also scoring? Gee, statistics don’t always serve as the strongest argument. After this game, there were rumors in the hockey circle that “Mogo” was looking for… a safer goalkeeper. Anch is said to be unstable and too heavy… I have to agree, but the first three pucks went to his goal while playing in the minority. And in the entire game, the losers even had a shot advantage – 26:22. Maybe the bosses of “Mogo” are not looking for the culprit in that steppe? Maybe hitters should do their job first instead of earning rejections?
On the other hand: it is precisely in the leaderboard games that it is better to see who is capable. Thus, after the unfortunate 4:5 overtime loss of “Zemgales” to “Prism”, the biggest scapegoat, Aleksandrs Galkins, lost his place in the team of Jelgava players, while goalkeeper Mariuss Bajaruns-Galejs became the backup of goalkeeper coach Rihards Zimermanis from the first goalkeeper. In the square. Well, an experienced buck like Galkin should not miss Patrik Zabusov’s 1-0 run so easily! This is hockey: where one has joy, the other has sorrow.
“Prism” and “Zemgale” will cross clubs for the second time this season in Imanta on Tuesday. Will the intrigue continue? In the remaining five matches, the winner can be more guessed, but maybe the leaders of the Lithuanian ice puck “Kaunas City” will try to bite the current leader of Latvia “Zemgale”?
HS “Riga” and “Panter” Tallinn played the last two matches of the regular championship on the weekend – 5:1 and 1:4. In the table, both together with “Kaunas City” have eight points each, which gives 5th, 6th and 7th place. The leader “Zemgale” has 18 points, followed by the trio – “Mogo”, “Kurbads” and “Prizma” with 14 points. Interesting. But the playoffs are still far away.
Jānis MATULIS
