Nieuws U23

U23 Deurne 2 Leuven 4

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Leuven U23 started 2012 in much the same vein that they ended 2011, with an excellent vctory on the road. Our previous game at Deurne started badly and was over in the first 10 minutes. This time we ran the game against physical opponents and played will good skill and discipline. The game started in an even fashion with no great drama's and it was good to pass the first 5 minutes and get settled in. Coach Geert had 11 players, so 2 lines with a pair of wingers alternating on the second line. We took the lead when MIchael van Egdom make a break out during a period of 4 on 4 with 2 players in the box. His pace was a constant threat to the home defence and it proved the case again just before the interval. Pushing the puck past the last defenceman, MIchael absolutely skinned him, round the keeper and slotted home for a superb goal.

The second period was a much more event affair. Tom Prodi in goal had a good game ane seemed well in control. Our lead was extended to three when Yoren de Smed showed blistering pace to round the defence in what looked like a copy cat of our second goal. However; this time the keeper got a pad to it and MIchael was on hand to collect his hatrick by slotting home the rebound. Any notions of a runaway victory were disabused when Deurne got two goals back. It didn"t reflect a shift in the balance of play as we were comfortably holding out own. The first goal game with a neat deflection of a long shot and which Tom appeared to have covered. The second home goal was through being first to the rebound from the keeper. However, we continued to play the game calmly and were rewarded when Michael laid on a goal for Mickey Evers. The satisfaction of a good job was dimished when we realised that Yoren had picked up a shoulder injury and missed the third period.

We were anticipating a long a physical final period, but the guys played really well keeping the puck in the Deurne zone and restricting them to long range efforts which Tom was able to handle with relative ease. WIth 4 minutes left Duerne pulled the keeper and 3 attempts at empty net goals resulted in consecutive icings and kept the group of players on the ice for a long time. Finally Tom was able to cover up and we could make the change. The threat from the home team ebbed away as the guys played out the final period. Kari Gudlasson stayed on the bench for much of the last 10 minutes and might have cracked a rib. We were indebted to a great team performance and a good game to watch. Roll HYC next sunday.

U23 Heist 1 Leuven 8 (2nd Dec)

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The last game of 2011 for U23 was one of the best. We had a good balance to the side with solid defence and excellent sharp attacking. Leuven were quickly into their stride and had an excellent attack in the first minute of the game and took the lead shortly afterwards when Mikey Evers was first to the rebound to force the puck home. Against a physically bigger side we were constantly quicker to the puck and showed good skill and great teamwork in making decisive plays. Good interpassing by Paulo Sileci and Liesa Bosmans took the puck around the back of the goal to Michel van Eggom who scored with a long shot. Michael also got the third with a shot through the keeper. The fourth and final goal of the period was again good work around the net with the finish being a long shot from Ben Boute. However, the end of the period saw strong pressure from the home side and we defended quite a long stretch, Keeper Bob Winnett was solid in goal and the attacks were thwarted. In the interval break, coach Geert was reminding the players that, dispite the score, the game was not over. The second period started quite close with chances at either end. During a period of Leuven pressure a long shot from Frank Neven was deflected in for 0-5. Despite a few breaks by Heist we controlled the game until a close in shot under Bob got a goal back for them. Any thoughts of a fightback were swiftly dispelled with an excellent long shot from Michael van Egdom from an acute angle. There was a scuffle following one Heist attack which had resulted in a pile of players in the crease. The period ended with a great powerplay by the visitors with the puck pinged around the zone and shots on the keeper. The third period was saw two further goals from Leuven, the first of these was the best goal of the game. A real five man move resulted in Mickey Evers picking up another. As the game drew to a close a bit of niggle crept in as frustration rose which culminated in a Heist player being ejected. The eigth goal was Sander Boute rushing to the net to deflect a shot from Leisa past the keeper before Sander himself followed the puck into the goal. It was a great team performance, probably the best of the season. However, the outstanding player was Yoren de Smet who added real pace to attack as well as covering in defence. Great job everyone, just need to keep it up for the rest of the season.

U23 Leuven 1 HYC 4 (26 Nov 2011)

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Another difficult game for the team saw a second defeat of the season against Heretaals. With 9 players it was always going to be tough. We had Dmity Stamitou in goal as he was short of ice time in the ere divisie and needed to get a game under his belt. The game got off to a poor start when a shot gave HYC the lead after just 80s. Leuven played the game at quite a high tempo considering the lack of players but we created few chances. HYC doubled their advantage when a slip allowed a 2 on 0 and some good passing got the puck past Dmitry. THings looked worse when Ben Boute was laid out on the ice, but fortunately he was able to return after a few minutes to recover. During the interval coach Geert re-inforced the message to let the puck do the work and the second period was muich better. All in all, we were the better team in the second period and made a number of good chances. The pick of the these was a breakout for Michael van Egdom which was well saved. In the dying moments of the second period we conceded a rare penalty and HYC scored within a few seconds. The goal was well fashioned but the period score did not reflect how we played. The third period was enlivened when Michael scored with a nice backhand and maybe we still had a chance. However, a 4th for the visitors extinguished those hopes and the rest of the game was played out without much incident. Herentals were worth their win overall, but with a fuller team I think it would have been considerably different. Good effort from everyone.

U23 Leuven 4 Deurne 3 (pens) 20 Nov 2011

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Following the 8-3 defeat in Antwerp at the start of the season this was the cheifs opportunity for revenge. We had a strong team with a number of ere divisie players. We also welcomed "home" Arthur Legrand who is now keeping goal for Deurne. The first period was quite an even affair with not many chances. However, the visitors managed to take the lead when a close in shot was squeezed under Bob Winnett. Leuven played the first period without conceding any penalties. It was cold in the timekeeping box for a time after Pieter-Jan Wouters and a Deurne player thundered into the plexiglass sending the protective window flying onto the table. In the second period it was mostly pressure from the home team and most of the play was in the phantoms zone. Leuven drew level with a goal from Kari Gudlagsson. However, Deurne looked secure at the back and it remained locked at even until a rare break on the right lead to a shot from the excellent Maxime Pellgrims which was blocked out but the rebound was followed up and it was 1-2, despite us having the majority of the play. Coach geert tried to shake .things up by changing keepers but Tom Prodi was unable to prevent a 2 goal visitor lead as a low shot went in at the corner. When we came out for the third period the coach played with 2 lines and we started to see results. The first goal was a long shot from Jordan Paulus which Arthur was unable to stop and with just over 5 minutes left equality was restored via Michael van Egdom. Despite further Leuven pressure we were unable to force the win. At 3-3, there was a 3 penalty shootout to determine the winners. Leuven gained the advantage when Tom stopped the first Deurne attempt and Joren de Smet scored. Then they scored, we missed and they missed again. This left it to Michael van Egdom to score the winning goal. It was mighty close but we scraped the win for some much needed points.

U23 Charleroi 0 Leuven 14 (11 Nov 2011)

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It was a late, late night in Charleroi with a finsh not long before midnight. In the home game we had own 32-0 and came again with a strong team. This was a far more difficult contest on the small rink in Charleroi. The guys played steadily, kept at the game plan and played as a team without trying to make individual plays or any showboating. The difference in quality was shown in a number of shorthanded situations wher the 4 of Leuven appeared to be the team on the powerplay. Goals came steadily throught he first period as Leuven controlled the game and took opportunities as they came. At least 2 of the 6 goals came against the power play. The game however was marred by a large number of penalties, especially in the third period when it became more attirtional in nature. The referees were very strict and there was not a lot of the match played with 5 on 5. The second period ended at 0-9 including a number of own goals where Leuven pressure had resulted in deflections into the home net. Tom Prodi in the Leuven goal was not very busy but dealt with the threat that exists very well. Most of his activity was in flying to the bench as yet another penalty was called. The third period was a turgid affair with many penalties a two long delays as the referee tried the identify the guilty of a number of scuffles. From memory 3 or 4 home players and 1 player from Leuven were ejected from the game. In the last half of the third period Leuven concentrated on playing hockey and keeping the puck moving. Best moment of the game was a 2nd half powerplay when we kept the puck moving as we looked for an opening. The move was finished when Pieter-Jan Wouters shot high into the net. Overall, we played as well as we needed to and the guys kept their cool under difficult circumstances. The small home rink makes for a completely different game compared with a full sized rink. Next up is Deurne at home where we need to avenge an 8-3 reverse.

U23 Leuven 2 Luik 4 (6 Nov 2011)

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Two weeks after a tense 4-3 home victory, Luik were again visitors to Haasrode. This time we had a stronger team with a number of ere divisie players joining the core u23 with a number of the u18. With 3 lines against 2 hopes were high. However, in a tight first period Leuven failed to gel together and played the first period without the required urgency. The Luik players seemed to have more cohesion from playing together more as a unit. There were not too many shots on goal in the first period, but both keepers were calm and playing confidence. The breakthrough came for Luik half way through the first period. Bob Winnett in goal made a pad save from a close shot but was unable to prevent the rebound from being slotted home. Towards the end of the first period tempers started to fray and a number of players found their way to the penaltybox for roughing and charging. Coach Geert Boute impressed upon the guys the need to keep out of the penalty box and n the second period the team stuck to the plan with great results. The equaliser came from Paulo Sileci when he shot home at the far post after a pass across the goal. We took the lead through Robin Devos when he scored a goal almost identical to the one he scored the preceding week against Heist. Bursting over the Luik blue line into space he shot high over the blocker, 2-1 to Leuven and game on. However, Luik are a solid and settled side with good players throughout. They play in a disciplined and organised fashion and took control of the third period. Two goals in the middle of the third period gave them them full control and allowed them to play the puck about and left us chasing the game. A home penalty with just over 2 minutes left made the task almost impossible. The final nail was a low shot across the keeper with 30s left. We came with a strong side and left with no points. Its was a good game, but on this occasion, the better side won.

U23 Leuven 2 Heist 1 (30 Okt 2011)

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Supporters nerves were put through the wringer again with another close home win. Injuries stripped of davy Dendas and Enrico Loncke and saw the U23 with 2 lines against 3 lines from Heist. The game was extremely tight and finished with Heist attacking for the winner in front of an empty net. Coach Geert Boute put Lee-Roy Mazolli at centre instead of defence and Tom Prodi in goal. The highlight of a close first period was a long shot from Maxime Dockx the struck the crossbar from behind the blue line and bounced away to safety. Unfortunately Max had to leave the game early with an arm early ad unable to grip the stick. In spite of this loss Leuven created more chances and looked the more likely to score. The break through came midway through the second period when Robin Devos suddenly surged through the middle of the Heist defence in a determined charge from our defensive zone. A great shot high to the keepers blocker side gave us a deserved lead. One of the improvements on previous matchs was our discipline with only one penalty for foul play (plus one for "too many men"). This mean't that we didn't consume large amounts of energy when shorthanded. The third period saw Leuven forced more and more to defensive duties with Frank Neven, Ben Boute and Christophe Neefs rotating as the defence. However, we held firm and it looked likely that we would hold onto our lead. With about 5 minutes left a manic scramble around the home goal saw a great double save from Tom when it seemed that Heist must be able to force the puck home. Unfortunately,with just over 2 minutes left to play the visitors finally got the rewards for their efforts as the puck was slipped in at the far post. Immediately, Heist called a timeout and there were concerns that the momentum had swung too far in their favour. However, within a minute a shot from the blue line from Paulo SIleci, which appeared to loop over the defence, passed by the unsighted keeper into the far corner of the net to restore our advantage. Heist restarted with 6 players and no goalie. However, as with last week, Leuven defended stoutly and kept play out of our zone. With the last play of the match a home shot bounced from the outside of the post and the game was over. The overall team play was greatly improved and heads didn't drop when the equaliser was scored. Good job team.

U23 Leuven 4 Luik 3 (22 okt 2011)

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Saturday evening saw the return match of last years final between Leuven and Luik at Haasrode. The U23 team were considerably strengthened by having Pieter-jan Wouters and Davy Dendas available despite the ERE division playing at Eindhoven. Danny Gysebreghs was in charge in Geert Boute's absence. The match started late due to an overrun of the preceding U14 game. The referee penalised the home team with an immediate "delaying the game" penalty. With a penalty for slashing after 60s, we played the first 3 minutes shorthanded. However, stern defensive play resulted in no shots on goal. The first period was perhaps the best period of the season so far. Team play was controlled and confident and Bob Winnett was calm and solid in goal with a number of good saves. Leuven took the lead through Davy Dendas after 4 minutes and 10 minutes later Michael van Egdom added the second with a long range shot.

The second period started as the first with good play covering the length of the ice. Luik are a very good team and patiently made there opportunities. The first of these came during a home powerplay, Luik cleared the puck and were leading the race to reach the board. Bob elected to come out and clear. He cleared the inrushing players, but the puck was picked up by a blue shirt who coolly slotted into an empty net. Six minutes later Luik scored two goals with a nice shot over the blocker and then seizing on a deflection close-in to take the lead. Luik now had the momentum and pressured the home defence with Ben Boute and Christophe Neefs acquitting themselves well at the back. However, equality was restored with an excellent passing goal by Leuven. Michael van Egdom and Yoren de Smet combining back and forth with Yoren tucking the puck home from close range.

The third period saw a number of penalties conceded by Luik. However, they have a solid penalty killing line and we made few chances. The defining moment can after 10 minutes when Christophe spotted Michael beyond the last defender and threaded a long pass towards him. The pass should have been cut out by the last defender, but maybe the efforts of penalty killing had taken their toll. The white number 2 then attacked the net, pulling the keeper to one side and slotting home at the last moment. The last 10 minutes were closely contested and the game reached boiling point with 41s left when the home team were penalised for high stick. This was followed by a melee with some punches thrown but no further penalties. The last seconds were played shorthanded, but with determination to the fore, we kept the play largely outside of our zone and the game was won. Excellent play by all players from both sides made this a great game to watch.

U23 Deurne 8 Leuven 3 (9 okt 2011)

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With other Leuven teams also in action, we went with 2 lines to Deurne against 3 lines of the home team. For some reason Leuven started slowly and were run out of the game in the first period as the home team racked up 5 goals without reply. Bob Winnett replaced Tom Prodi at 3-0 but was unable to stop the flow against us. Problems were componded by Sander Boute being carried from the ice and watched the rest of the game from the side. In the second period Leuven rallied and Deurne conceded a number of penalties and we had a number of 3 on 5 powerplays, but were unable to convert. Eventually the improved play resulted in a high up shot from Robin Devos getting a goal back. Deurne scored again immediately but the raised spirits of the visitors could not be subdued. Leuven played with patience and were rewarded with further goals from Lisa Bosmans following up the rebound and Paulo Sileci after a scramlbe around the goal. Tom was restored to the goal and played solidly for the rest of the game. We returned to the changing rooms very much in the game at 6-3 down. However, in the third period Duerne scored on the break within the first minute and the game was largely over. The physicality of the game took its toll on Leuven as we lost Lisa after she slid into the boards behind the goal and in the last minute Lee-roy Milazzo was illegally flattened on the halfway and was carried off. A final goal from Deuerne finished the game off. The result was a fair reflection of the game. Deurne were stronger and had more players and were the better team in the first period. Leuven can be proud of their efforts after a disasterous start to play there way back into the game.