We came very close to springing a surprise on the Ingolstadt juniors.

The UNI GYŐR ETO HC U21 team have had a busy and successful weekend, having hosted the junior team of ERC Ingolstadt, multiple DEL champions.

The teams played two matches; in Saturday afternoon’s game, the German youngsters won 4–3 with a last-minute goal. In a fast-paced, back-and-forth match, goals were scored at both ends; the Győr junior team was, of course, bolstered by several ‘over-age’ players from the Andersen League, with the visitors’ knowledge. Lóránt Láday and Mátyás Odnoga, the coaches of the Győr team, are already building the squad of the future, seeking to find a place in the UNI GYŐR ETO line-up for the new lads who have joined last year’s junior squad. All fans will soon find out who they are; we’ll be introducing the lads on our social media channels on an ongoing basis.

Saturday afternoon’s match was followed by one on Sunday morning, in which Győr’s ‘pure’ U21 side took on Ingolstadt’s U19 team. The Győr side, bolstered by 18-year-olds, were on a par with their opponents, just as they had been in the previous day’s match. Once again, it was neck and neck throughout, but, just as in the previous match, the German side were leading by a single goal a few minutes before the final whistle. This time, however, the Láday-Odnoga pairing pulled their goalkeeper, but the German side capitalised on this and the final score was 4–2.

Anyone who thinks it’s no coincidence that the Ingolstadt-based team – which is also sponsored by AUDI AG – happened to be here is not mistaken. An old plan from Győr has come to fruition: the two clubs are forging closer ties, and now, thanks to corporate sponsorship, the cream of the crop from the youth ranks of one of Germany’s most successful ice hockey teams has come to Győr.

The German squad includes several players who featured in a number of matches for the DEL senior team last year (and are expected to do so again this year). ERC Ingolstadt’s senior professional players will be in action this weekend in the CHL, or Champions Hockey League.

Széchenyi University in Győr and UNI GYŐR ETO HC, as well as AUDI GMBH, the lads from Ingolsadt also visited the university campus, where they were able to get a taste of university life amongst the freshers who were out and about during Freshers’ Week.

Following a successful weekend, both the management of the ERC Ingolstadt academy and the leadership of UNI GYŐR ETO HC’s flagship regional academy are optimistic that there will be a follow-up. Just as they are twin towns and home to the AUDI factory, the two cities and the two clubs can also grow closer through ice hockey.

Photo: Dr Krisztina Németh-Csigai