The quarter-finals of the Liepāja championship have started
The play-off tournament of the Liepāja championship started with exciting battles over the past holidays, but the decisive return matches of the quarter-finals are expected on February 24 and 25.
At the end of the 56-game regular season, the teams divided the starting positions for the upcoming playoffs. In the playoff tournament of the Liepāja floorball championship, teams compete as a result of two games in each of the rounds, assigning high importance to each of the games in the fight for championship medals.
Tornado Titans/CF Liepaja (1) – Kursi parents (8)
The winners of the regular tournament “Tornado Titans/CF Liepāja” opened the first quarter-final matches, which crossed paths with the “Parents of Kursu”. Similar to the main tournament, in the play-off game the Parents were unable to show serious resistance to the mighty Titans and lost 1:12. The team captain Mihails Kostusev shone for the winners with 7 (3+4) points, while Marcis Ruperts scored the only goal of the “Kurši parents” unit.
Priekule (4) – Dunalka (5)
The most thorough fight was expected directly in this South Kurzeme duel, because in the main tournament the teams split the victories in half. “Dunalka” scored the first goal in the first game of the quarter-finals, but Prikulniki responded with the same goal immediately after. In the middle of the half, the Dunalcs managed to regain the lead and keep it until the break. The turning point of the game was the middle of the second half, when the Dunalka floorball players scored two goals, laying the main foundations for the victory. The final score of the game heralded a 5-1 victory, however, it did not fully reflect the course of the game on the field and promises a very sharp fight in the second leg.
FK Kursi FSS (3) – Aver/Liels Auto (6)
On Sunday evening, Floorball Sports School and Liels Auto teams took care of an exciting game. From the first minutes, the new change of FK Kursi played a lot with the ball, but in case of mistakes, “Aver/Liels Auto” responded with sharp counterattacks. After 20 minutes of effort, “FK Kurši FSS” is leading by a minimum of 2:1. In the first substitution after the break, Robert Stelmacher managed to equalize, which made the game nervous. A little later, Kursi scored two goals, but they could not be sure of victory until the 38th minute of the game. Tomas Krist Kalniņš’s two goals at the end of the match solved the last questions, allowing us to celebrate the success with 6:2, but also in this duel everything will be decided only in the second game.
BEL CIBO/MBR (2) – Kings of Liepāja (7)
In the regular tournament, “BEL CIBO/MBR” managed twice with 6:3 against the Kings, so no one expected an easy walk. And so it came true. “Kings of Liepāja” opened the game with a quick goal, but last year’s champions “BEL CIBO/MBR” regained the lead 2:1 with a convincing game. At the end of the half, Andris Gulbis restored the balance to the scoreboard – 2:2 with an individual raid. Barely 35 seconds after the break, Uģis Pickainis returned the lead to BEL CIBO, but that was not the end of it. In the 31st minute of the game, Kings’ captain Mārtiņš Solovyov upset the champions once again, forcing the players and supporters of his team to cheer. The joy was short-lived as “BEL CIBO/MBR” took the lead for the third time soon after. At the end of the match, “Kings of Liepāja” tried their luck by playing with six field players, but it did not give the expected result and the nominal favorites of the game celebrated with a happy 5:3 victory.
In the Liepāja floorball championship, the winners in the playoffs are determined as a result of two games. The return matches will take place in LOC Arena on February 24 and 25. If the team’s victories are divided in half, then after the end of the second game, there will be a five-minute extension until the first goal. If the team does not score, then there are five post-game shots. The semi-finals of the championship are scheduled for March 10 and 24, while the Finals will take place on April 1 and 6. Liepāja’s 26th floorball championship is organized with the support of the city of Liepaja “Floorball club “Kurši””.
Information prepared by:
Normunds Krumins
