“Zemgale/LBTU” in the final of the championship – ZZ.lv

The Jelgava ice hockey team “Zemgale/LBTU” celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and reached the championship final five times during this period. Let’s take a look back at the four previous times the team reached the top of the competition.

“Zemgale/LBTU” reached the finals for the first time 2017/2018 year in the season in which the regular championship was finished in fourth place. Under the leadership of head coach Harald Vasiliev and his assistant Valerii Kulibaba, Jelgava players beat the regular championship winners HK “Mogo” in the semi-finals with a score of 4:2 (10:2; 3:2 PL; 1:3; 4:6; 4:3; 5:2 ).

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In the final “Zemgale/LBTU” lost without options to HK “Kurbads” with the result 0:4 (2:3 PL; 1:4; 1:6; 0:1) and won the first silver medal in the team’s history. From that time, Richards Bernhards and Rihards Zimmermanis are currently playing in the team.

2018/2019 year the team took the second place in the regular championship “Zemgale/LBTU” and in the semi-finals met with the “pairs” of the previous season – HK “Kurbads”. This time too, Kurbadians were stronger without any options – 0:4 (0:4; 0:3; 1:2; 0:5), leaving Jelgava with bronze.

2019/2020 In the season of 2018, “Zemgale/LBTU” took fifth place in the regular championship and had high hopes for the elimination tournament, but it was canceled as a result of the “Covid-19” pandemic.

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2020/2021 In the season of 2011, under the leadership of Artas Ābol, the Jelgava players finished the regular championship in first place for the first time in their history and received the cup in their hands two games before the end of the competition in Liepāja. Received with long teeth, because there is a superstition that receiving an award before the elimination tournament is not a good sign. This season it proved itself in full.

In the semi-finals, Jelgavnieki once again faced “Mogo/LSPA” by beating them in a series with the result – 4:2 (3:4 PL; 3:0; 3:1; 1:0; 2:3 PSM; 2:1 PL) .

In the final “Zemgale/LBTU” convincingly lost to “Olimp/Venta 2002” team – 0:4 (1:3; 1:4; 1:3; 1:5), proving that the cup of the regular championship should not be held until the end of the elimination tournament. Therefore, no hockey player has held the winner’s cup of the 2024 regular season. From the composition of this championship, 9 people are still with “Zemgale/LBTU”.

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2021/2022 year season became the most important success in the history of the team. The team finished the regular season in second place, but fully proved itself in the elimination tournament. In the semi-final series, HK “Liepāja” team was defeated in a tough fight with the result 4:2 (1:2 PL; 4:3 PL; 4:1; 3:1; 1:2 PL; 4:3 PL), but in the final there was a rematch against the champions of the previous season “Olimp/Venta 2002”, winning the series with 4:0 (5:0; 3:2 PL; 3:2; 3:1) and for the first time in its history, the team became champions.

2022/2023 year In the season, Jelgavnieki took second place again in the regular championship, but won the second championship title in the longest elimination tournament. In the quarter-finals, the Lithuanian team “Airwell Energija” was beaten with a score of 3:0. In the semi-final series, a weakened team of “Dinamo Riga” was defeated with the result 4:0 (7:0; 11:1; 9:1; 10:3).

In the final jelgavnieki met with “Mogo/LSPA” hockey players, who have been yearning for the championship title since 2019. “Zemgale/LBTU” also put a leg in front of them this time, winning the series with the result 4:1 (4:3 PL; 1:3; 3:1; 3:1; 5:1) and for the second time in a row becoming ” Optibet” for the champions of the Baltic Hockey League.

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This season, “Zemgale/LBTU” and “Mogo/LSPA” will meet for the second time in history in the final of the “Optibet” Baltic Hockey League. The compositions of both teams are very similar in terms of their abilities, and this promises an energetic battle, as well as a lot of emotions and experiences for the fans of both teams.

The final will start on March 27 with a game in Jelgava Ice Hall. The outcome of the fight is unpredictable.

Photo: Ruslans Antropov