European Cup Qualifications 2006

After conquering the British floorball championship in May, a slightly depleted Vikings squad set sail for Fredrikshavn, Denmark for the 2006 European Cup Qualifiers. A total of 11 national champions were fighting over which 2 would qualify to the EC Finals held later this year. The teams were divided into groups A and B, and after 3 days of almost non-stop floorball the winners would face the runners-up on Saturday for the decisive games.

FC Vestegnen (Den) – London Vikings 11–4

The tournament got off with a match against the host nation. A young and mobile Danish squad had the upper hand but the Vikings fought back and countered well, keeping the game tight well into the second period. Then the combined effect of the higher international tempo and a larger rink got the best of the Londoners and the Danes netted a bunch of goals making the final score 11-4.

London Vikings – TVZ Wikings (Aut) 7–9

The second game of the day was against an Austrian namesake TVZ Wikings. The game got off to a great start with Vikings leading 3-0 after the first period. A slightly overconfident attitude and lax defending by London let the boys from Zell am See back into the game, and suddenly after another 20 minutes they had the lead with 3-5. The final period was an even contest but the Austrians held onto their lead ending the game with 7-9 and teaching the Vikings a good lesson about how to play the whole 60 minutes.

London Vikings – Nizhegorodets (Rus) 4–11

To keep any hopes of qualification alive after losing the first two games, the next game had to yield full points. The opponent, Russian champions Nizhegorodets, were on paper the toughest team in the group, having run over the Cobras last year with 21-3. The Russians were definitely dangerous in the attack, but great goalkeeping and offensive work meant the Vikings lead 3-2 on the first break. Unfortunately a third game in slightly more than 24 hours meant that tiredness started to creep in while the Russians kept at their high tempo game. Despite a good fight the score was 4-11 at the final whistle, and any theoretical chances for getting through were out of the window.

Dunai Krokodilok (Hun) – London Vikings 7–8

In Fridays evening match it was the Hungarian Krokodiloks turn to step into the rink with the Vikings. The Londoners grabbed an early lead and held to it throughout the game, but never really managed to put down the crocodiles even though chances were plentiful. Trailing by 2 goals, the last 10 minutes saw furious offense from the Hungarians looking to equalize. This forced the Vikings to defend their lead with all they had, but fortunately the lessons learned in the earlier in the tournament came into fruition. The Hungarians had to leave empty-handed, with 8-7 on the scoreboard at full time marking the first international win for the London Vikings.

London Vikings – IBN Brussels (Bel) 12–4

Marking what was the fifth game in slightly over 2 days, IBN Brussels was next on the list. The Belgians never really got into the game with Vikings dominating from the start. Another victory was chalked up with 12-4 as the final score which secured fourth place in the group for the Londoners.

London Vikings – Amsterdam FB Agents (Ned) 9–4

The final game of the day and the tournament was for the 7th place against the dutch champions from Amsterdam. It was a meeting of 2 exhausted teams with the Vikings edging out a reasonably comfortable 9-4 win. Due celebrations ensued thanks to a dressing room with a proper sauna and the coaching teams preparation for the post match with a few cans of Denmark’s finest.

Thanks to the organizers for a smooth tournament, the referees, the teams taking part and especially all the Vikings who made it to Fredrikshavn. Hopefully the winning streak in international games will be extended soon!