Hockey and the holidays go together like holiday indulging and New Years’ weight-loss resolutions, and this Christmas Ukrainian hockey fans are in luck as the Ukrainian Cup final is set for Christmas Eve.
Ukrainian hockey league front-runners Sokil Kyiv will take on rival HK Kremenchuk in front of a sold-out Iceberg Arena in Kremenchuk tonight at 18:30 after finishing as the top two teams in the four-team holiday tournament.
Unlike football’s Ukraine Cup, where football teams from every level compete for the domestic title, hockey’s Ukraine Cup is an invitation-only event.
Four teams took part in this year’s event, with Dnipro Kherson and Brovary’s BSPC joining the finalists.
First held in 2007, this is only the second time hockey’s Ukraine Cup has been held. Sokil won that tournament as well, beating Brovary’s HC Berkut 7-3 in the final of the six-team event.
Christmas Eve Rivalry
The Christmas Eve final comes amidst Ukrainian hockey’s ‘Cold War’, that has seen its top teams splinter into rival leagues.
For more, please read: Ukrainian Hockey’s Civil War
Kyiv and Kremenchuk remain in the Ukrainian Hockey Federation (FHU)-sanctioned Ukrainian Hockey League, leading the standings of the six-team circuit.
The teams are familiar foes, having faced each other 16 times over the past two seasons, with Sokil holding the series edge 11-5. Last year, Sokil ended Kremenchuk’s reign as Ukrainian champions by dumping the team in the UHL semi-final.
Anton Ruban has been on fire for Sokil, netting a hat trick in the round robin game against Kremenchuk, a 5-3 win for Sokil. Expect Andriy Deniskin – always a thorn in the side of Sokil – to star for Kremenchuk in the hopes of a Christmas Eve upset in front of the home fans.
The winning team will receive the 30-kilo Anatoly Khorozov Cup, named for the FHU’s first president, and $9,100. The losing team will receive $4,500.
Dnipro Kherson won $2,700 for finishing third at the 2022 Ukraine Cup, while Brovary’s BSPC picked up $1,800 for finishing at the bottom of the table.
Tonight’s final will be broadcast on Sport 1, or you can join in the action on YouTube by clicking here.
