News, Season 2011/2012

World Cup 2011, a preview

While June 2011 belonged to the national teams, August belongs to the best cub teams of the world. Last week the Canadian nationals took place in Brampton, Ontario, with Midnight Express wining the title. Next week the World Cup for club teams will take place in Pilsen, Czech Republic. This tournament, so far known as EuroCup, was called World Cup in the vague hope, that teams from North America would consider taking part in this event. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, this did not take place, not yet. But still the North American element is represented at this traditional European tournament. With Tyler McFadden and Spencer Irving (both Canada) and three US-Americans (one of them Andrew Hildreth) for the first time in ballhockey history North American top players will play in the Wolrd Cup. It is not an coincident, that those player will dress for the two Swiss teams that play at this years World Cup, the SHC Belpa 1107 and the Oberwil Rebells as quite strong ties have been developed between those two Swiss teams and North America.

Some histroy

In the last year, the World Cup – to stay with the new name – had to fight with problems. It happened several times, that only representatives from three countries were present. The two best true European nations, Slovakia and Czech Republic always sent some of their best teams, Switzerland in every year expect in 2010. Teams from Germany, Austria and Finland took part occasionally. Since the World Cup is officially organised by the ISBHF, the winning team came either from Czech Republic or from Slovakia. Only few teams from other countries ever reached the semi-finals. According to my knowledge, it were only the two Swiss teams Oberwil Rebells (twice) and Sierre Lions, who both finished on the fourth place on those occasions. So the three first places were always shared among the Czech and Slovak teams. The most successful team is Ruzinov Bratislava, who won four out of fourteen tournaments and finished second on five other occasions. Usti nad Lebem from Czech Republic won three times and Izoglobal Martin from Slovakia twice.

The 2011 edition of the World Cup

Unfortunately only eight teams will make their way next week to Pilsen where the Wolrd Cup is plaid in the covered rink of the HBC Plzen. The same place, were most games of the women's world championships 2009 were plaid. The top favourite is the Slovak champions the HBK Nitrianski Ritieri Nitra. The team dominated last year's Slovak championship from the beginning to the end. But other teams have ambitions too. The Czech team of HBC Hradec Kralove 1988 will try to defend the title won a year ago in Bratislava, the local team of the HBC Plzen, will work hard to win, especially after the season 2010/11 wasn't a very good one for them. The vice champions from Czech Republic, Elba DDM Usti nad Labem, and from Slovakia, RBK Ruzinov Bratislava, count to the huge group of favourites as well. The German champions the Heilbronn Hornets are a dangerous outsider. The German national team has proven in Bratislava that no German team should be taken easy. And the two Swiss teams? If you just look at the 2011 World championships, then the two Swiss would be even bigger outsider then the German teams. But this would not correctly reflect the true situation. The Swiss players of the Rebells were not part of the Swiss national team in Bratislava. The only two players who were in Bratislava Andrew Hildreth and Tibor Kapanek were among the best players of their respective teams. Plus the Rebells will have three additional players on their roster, two Americans and a Slovak. So the team from the host city of the 2015 World Championship will be mot exactly a favourite, but for sure more then just another outsider.

And Belp? While Oberwil had plaid on several occasions in the Word Cup during the last years, Belp competed only once, in 2008 when they joint in the last minute to replace a Swiss team that cancelled its participation. So there is a lake of experience to play five against five. But that lack is not very big, as most of the Belp players have experience in one or more Swiss national teams. Nicola Fuchs and Ronny Strähler have plaid in Canada and with Tyler McFadden and Spencer Irving two Canadian players will reinforce the team. And finally one player from the SHC Aegerten-Biel will join Belp for Pilsen: Petr Rybon, a Czech player who now not only plays in Switzerland and as well plaid for Switzerland at the 2011 WC in Bratislava. And still, Belp says an outsider. But an outsider you better do not underestimate.

http://www.worldcup2011.cz/index_eng.asp