After 20 victories in a row, GIJS knows how to lose again, but the Groningen team did not digest the 3-2 defeat they suffered in Tilburg badly. A decision game in Kardinge must now determine which of the two teams will go to the final of the play-offs of the Eredivisie.
GIJS coach Csaba Kercso was angry afterwards. Not a little, but very much. Because of the winning goal of the Tilburg team, which he said was clearly offside. About other decisions of the referee team, but especially about the equalizer that Danny Kerstholt made in the third period that was not counted.
Fantastic bang from Bartels in home game on Saturday
GIJS already had the difficult evening the team had counted on. On Saturday, the Groningers in a packed Kardinge had all the trouble to keep the Brabanders off. GIJS should have made up for a 1-3 deficit and, thanks in part to a fantastic bang in the intersection by Tim Bartels, came ahead 4-3, after which Tilburg forced an overtime in which GIJS played the last minute and a half with a man less and so was happy it made it to the penalty shots. Dylan Foks eventually became match winner for GIJS. The technically proficient forward shot the 20 e penalty hit: 5-4.
With that victory, GIJS had given itself two chances for the final of the play-offs, coach Kercso calculated afterwards. Sunday evening in Tilburg and if that opportunity was not seized, Saturday 18 March at home in Kardinge again.
Goalie Matyas Dana saves the furniture
That last chance must be seized now. But how close GIJS was in Tilburg, at least an overtime. In a bad first period, goalie Matyas Dana saved the furniture for GIJS, which almost got into real trouble a few times.
The first break was reached with 0-0 and then it became a real match, with no fewer than four power play goals. Tilburg quickly took the lead in the second period through a goal from Marvin Timmer, but a nice backhand shot from Danny Kerstholt meant the equalizer (1-1) and after that there was much more to come. GIJS kept the pressure on and Thomas Krukovski shot from almost the blue line for 1-2.
Tim again
The pressure was completely on Tilburg and GIJS could exploit that nicely, but that happened too little. Via Timmer again, normally a player from Tilburg Trappers 1 who has been playing in the German Oberliga for years, the home team reached the same level. That 2-2 was the final score of the second period.
In the third period the same picture: two evenly matched teams. ,,I thought we played better ice hockey”, said Kercso. ,,But we didn’t finish it, so we certainly didn’t have the referees with us.”
Was the winning goal offside?
First Tilburg, which was just complete after another penalty, came through Renzo van Brink to 3-2. ,,Offside”, said Kercso. And then came another moment that was talked about for a long time, especially in the Groningen buses that drove back.
In a confusing situation, Danny Kerstholt tapped the puck from close range behind Tilburg goalie Jowin Ansems, who normally defends the goal of Trappers’ main force. The shot was hit, Kercso saw, and should have resulted in 3-3, but was not counted. ,,The puck was at least 40 centimeters over the line”, the Hungarian grumbled. “And the referee was on top of it. There were cameras everywhere, it was just plain as hell. Incomprehensible, this decision. I never just say something, so I really looked back at the images a few times. That goal should have counted!”
Attack on Krukovski: match penalty
GIJS had a few nice chances in a long power play of no less than five minutes, because Levi Houkes was punished with a match penalty after a strange attack on Krukovski. The veteran is therefore not there on Saturday in Kardinge, where Niels van der Vossen is allowed to play again.
Kercso was disappointed by the loss, but was realistic. ,,In that final phase, boys were also tired. We gave everything. Now we have to do it on Saturday. That’s just the way it is.”
Tilburg Trappers 2-GIJS HEPRO Groningen 3-2
Score: 23. Timmer 1-0, 25. Kerstholt 1-1, 29. Krukovski 1-2, 36. Timmer 2-2, 44. Van Brink 3-2.