IRELAND CAME FROM behind against Ukraine to win the Euro Hockey Championship II title on Saturday.
Ireland trailed 2-1 at half-time, but captain Sean Murray scored twice in the fourth quarter to send his side into a late 3-2 lead. Further goals from Benjamin Walker and a Lee Cole penalty stroke sealed a brilliant 5-2 comeback victory.
As in the semi-final win over Scotland, Ireland were stronger after half-time. They took the lead through a penalty corner converted by Shane O’Donoghue in the seventh minute, but as the quarter wore on Ukraine grew into the game.
Ukraine got an equaliser on nine minutes from Viacheslav Paziuk’s converted penalty corner, and Oleksandr Boiko gave Ukraine the lead with his converted penalty corner on 12 minutes – a lead they held on to right up to half-time.
The third quarter saw Ireland looking more on the front foot and coming back into the game.
Murray scored a field goal in the 50th minute to make it 2-2 and bagged his second of the match in the 51st minute to put Ireland 3-2 ahead. Ireland went further ahead in the 53rd minute through a Walker field goal, and finally in the 56th minute, Cole converted a late penalty stroke to secure a 5-2 win.
In doing so Cole scored his ninth goal of the tournament to wrap up the top scorer award. David Harte was voted goalkeeper of the tournament, while Ireland captain Murray was voted player of the tournament.
Ireland had already secured a place in January’s Olympic Qualifier event thanks to their 4-1 defeat of Scotland on Friday.
IRELAND: David Harte (GK), Charlie Rowe, John McKee, Kyle Marshall, Shane O’Donoghue, Sean Murray (Capt.), Peter McKibbin, Jeremy Duncan, Benjamin Walker, Jonathan Lynch , Lee Cole.
Subs used: Luke Witherow, Conor Empey, Sam Hyland , Ben Johnson, Nicholas Page.
UKRAINE: Bohdan Tovstolytkin (GK), Viacheslav Paziuk, Mykhailo Yasinskyi, Dmytro Luppa (Capt.), Volodomyr Kaplinskyi, Vitalii Shevchuk, Maksym Onofriiuk, Bohdan Kovalenko, Volodomyr Zhmereniuk, Andrii Koshelenko, Oleksandr Boiko.
Subs used: Oleksandr Diachenko, Iurii Moroz, Oleksii Popov, Yurii Dzemukh, Volodomyr Kostechko, Oleksandr Yashinskyi.
Report courtesy of Hockey Ireland.
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