2008-2009 CONTINENTAL CUP
FIXTURES Group A. Date Game code Home team Visiting team Starting time
19 September A1 KHL MLADOST DUNDALK 16:00
19 September A2 HC NOVI SAD SLAVIA 19:30
20 September A3 SLAVIA KHL MLADOST 16:00
20 September A4 DUNDALK HC NOVI SAD 19:00
21 September A5 DUNDALK SLAVIA 16:00
21 September A6 HC NOVI SAD KHL MLADOST 19:00
In Ice Hockey’s equivalent of Football’s Champions League, the Dundalk Bulls Ice Hockey Club are Ireland’s first ever entrants in the IIHF 2008/09 Continental Cup, and take on KHL Mladost from Zagreb in Croatia , Slavia Sofia from Bulgaria and the host team HC Novi Sad of Serbia where all 6 Group A games will be played over three days.
The Dundalk team that won the inaugural Irish Ice Hockey League’s A Division last year, will have to overcome huge disadvantages to compete with vastly experienced Eastern European teams with long histories in this competition. The Bulls have rarely had to leave their Co. Louth home rink where all I.I.H.L. games are played so this is yet another hurdle to overcome.
Should fortune favour the brave Bulls, they will go forward to the next round in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania. Bulls coaches Jim Tibbetts and Tony Griffin, Equipment Manager John Crawley, and Players Stevie Balmer, Hugh Smyth, Gareth Martin and brothers Davy and Willie Morrison will have good reason to remember that epic trip. They were all part of the Team Ireland party that competed there earlier this year in Division 2 of the I.I.H.F. World Championships.
The Bulls fly out to Serbia next Thursday Sept.18th and take the high hopes of Irish Ice Hockey with them.
GO BULLS!