Picture: Grange celebrate in Vienna. WAC/FotobyHofer
A Cammy Fraser inspired Grange saw the Scottish club win the men’s EuroHockey Club Trophy in Vienna with a storming 5-2 win over OKS SHVSM Vinnitsa.
It was a remarkable fightback from the Scots who had lost their first game of the tournament and were four minutes from going out in the group stages before snatching a last-ditch winner against HC Minsk to reach the final.
In the decider, they got off to a dream start when Jacob Tweedie – a minute after coming on – showed his poaching instincts when Fraser delivered a cross from the right corner.
Vinnitsa had the best of the second quarter and got back on terms via an Oleksandr Diachenko drag-flick, finding a way past Nathan Doherty who had brilliantly saved an earlier effort.
Grange got back in the ascendancy in the third quarter and used their corners brilliantly, Fraser – on the switch – slapping into the path of Calum McKenzie to deflect in. Fraser then slapped in directly from another switch for 3-1 and Frank Ryan chipped home a fourth from a McKenzie pass.
Serhii Diachuk got one back from a stroke and the Ukrainian side piled forward but found no more joy. Indeed, Todd Mills got a last minute goal to make it 5-2 to start the party.
Earlier on, the chase for third place was won by HC Minsk, beating the 2017 champions Rotweiss Wettingen 5-3.
The Swiss side got off to a great start when Matthias Hofstetter broke the deadlock four minutes in but Minsk soon turned things around. Ivan Liakh equalised with the first of three set piece goals from his side in the first half.
His corner was added to by a 15th minute Yauheni Mikheiochyk goal before Liakh added a stroke for a 3-1 half-time lead. Aliaksandr Hancharou extended that lead to 4-1 from yet another corner before Jan Hodle gave Rotweiss hope.
Pavel Sidarau, however, put the game out of reach with Benjamin Messerli’s 56th minute goal too late to affect the outcome.
In the battle for fifth, SC Stroitel Breat were 2-0 winners over the hosts WAC with the key goals coming from Ihar Yahoschchankau in the seventh minute and then the clincher in the 47th minute from Valery Kachmarski.
In the seventh place playoff, KS AZS AWF Poznan beat HC Bra – who could only field seven players – 19-2 with six goals from Patryk Pawlak and four from Jacek Kurowski.
Patryk Pawlak from Poznan took the trophy as top-scorer having scored nine goals with only three coming from penalty corners. Grange captain Cameron Fraser got voted as the best player by the teams; his teammate Nathan Doherty was best goalkeeper.
Monday schedule
| 09:00 | POZNAN – BRA | 7th/8th Place | 19 – 2 | ||
| 11:15 | BREST – WAC | 5th/6th Place | 2 – 0 | ||
| 13:30 | MINSK – WETTINGEN | 3rd/4th Place | 5 – 3 | ||
| 15:45 | GRANGE – VINNITSA | Final | 5 – 2 |
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