Italhockey, triumph at Tamas Sarkozy Memorial Tournament
Hungary-Italy 2-4
Second day of play at the 4 Nations in Budapest and another win for the Italian national team, which overcame the hosts Hungary 4 to 2 to win. MVP of the evening Tommy Purdeller, scoring a double. With these three points, the Azzurri remain the only team with a full score and thus secure first place and victory, for the third consecutive year, in Tamás Sárközy Memorial Tournament. Tomorrow, at 1:15 p.m., the’last challenge against Poland.
Coach Jalonen lines up Fadani between the posts. At rest remain Glira, Demetz, Marchetti and Ierullo (the latter, slightly injured, will not take the ice in this tournament). Italy immediately takes the reins of the contest. On the powerplay, Finoro and Petan are the first to warm up Balizs’ reflexes, then è Mantinger who backhand shoots just wide. At 06:16 the Azzurri are still in numerical superiority and this time they take the lead, thanks to a volley by Pietroniro. Guests also come close to doubling the lead with Zanetti, who deflects Larkin’s conclusion from the blue onto the post. Hungary struggled to contain the Italian offensives and Balizs had to overcome again on Cuglietta, Finoro and Saracino. Surprisingly, however, at the first real chance of the match, the Magyars tie the score: at minute 11:32 Schlekmann serves Ambrus, who from the slot mocks Fadani. The Italian goalie denied Hungary the lead on Erdely’s breakaway, but on the other side Balizs also kept the result unchanged with an instinctive save on Pietroniro.
The defenses conceded a lot in the middle period. Fadani lowers the portcullis first on Nemeth’s breakaway, then on Csollak’s. The Azzurri came back to try with Petan, but the golden chance was on the stick of Kostner, who received from Gellon and with a safe shot found a miraculous intervention by Balizs. The Hungarians in turn came close to making it 2-1 with Horvath and another one-on-one by Erdely, but the Italian goalkeeper held. In the end of the fraction Italy twice dangerous: Zanetti did not etch alone in front of Balizs, who also defended well shortly afterwards on Petan.
Italy was also lively at the start of the third period: Frycklund collected a rebound and made the line at the post, then è again the Kostner-Gellon-Purdeller axis to make itself dangerous. And it is precisely this line, at 46:03, that strikes with Tommy Purdeller, who in front of the goal mocks Balizs under the leggings. Hungary reacts vehemently and, at 48:46, equalizes with a touch under the goal by Schlekmann, who solves a situation in a scrum: the goal is reviewed twice, first on the referees’ request and then on that of the Italian bench, but is then confirmed. The Azzurri can però take advantage of a powerplay and at 50:56 return to lead, once again thanks to Purdeller: the South Tyrolean forward collects a rebound and inserts his personal double. Italy tried to close the game with Petan, but then had to raise the barricades on two consecutive Hungarian numerical superiorities: Fadani came up with the save of the night on Terbocs, then Trivellato saved a puck inches from the goal line. With 26 seconds to go before the siren è Saracino, on an empty goal, celebrated his first goal in a blue jersey and ended the contest at 2 to 4.
