Men Tournament – Michael Lipov Memorial Cup IX (Chicago) Results
The HC Toronto men’s team participated in their first tournament for the new season of 2018/19.
The Michael Lipov Memorial Cup IX in Chicago was the first opportunity for our men’s team to compete against some of the best teams in the US.
Michael Lipov Memorial Cup IX 2018 HCT team roaster
Final ranking
| Rank | Team Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | SF CalHeat |
| 2 | Team Handball Academy |
| 3 | New York Athletic Club |
| 4 | Chicago Inter Handball |
| 5 | HC Toronto |
| 6 | Army West Point Black |
| 7 | Firehawks THC |
| 8 | Minnesota Team Handball |
Men’s individual awards
| Award | Player Name |
|---|---|
| MVP | Greg INAHARA (Team Handball Academy) |
| MVG | Alden MEZICK (Team Handball Academy) |
Men’s top 10 scorers
| Rank | Player Name | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty REED (NYAC) | 53 |
| 2 | Greg INAHARA (Team Handball Academy) | 40 |
| 3 | Amar AMITOVIC (Team Handball Academy) | 36 |
| 4 | Eloy RUBIO (SF CalHeat) | 34 |
| 5 | Zuwed AKURO (SF CalHeat) | 30 |
| 6 | Kendirick THOMAS (Army West Point) | 28 |
| 7 | Nick WEBSTER (Army West Point) | 24 |
| 7 | Alexis RENAUD (HC Toronto) | 24 |
| 9 | Ryan THISTLEWOOD (Army West Point) | 20 |
| 10 | Stefan ASCERIC (Chicago Inter Handball) | 19 |
| 10 | Christopher FRUH (HC Toronto) | 19 |
| 10 | Slave JOVANOVSKI (SF CalHeat) | 19 |
| 10 | Eleyes BALTAGI (Team Handball Academy) | 19 |
HCT results
HCT match reports are available here: Michael Lipov Memorial Cup IX – HCT Match Reports.pdf
You can also watch the games which were played in the NEIU Main Gym: Video stream 1 – Video stream 2 – Video stream 3
“The group stage started with a loss against New York Athletic Club. New York is one of the best teams in the US, but our team started well and did a good job in defense. The loss of 13 – 27 was a result of 15 minutes in the first half where we allowed New York too many goals from fast breaks, caused by many technical errors in our offensive play.
The second match against the host Chicago Inter was a big step forward. Great performance and especially our defense was working excellent. But 3 missed fast breaks opportunities in crunch time of the second half unfortunately led us to a loss by 1 goal.
Game 3 of the group stage against Minnesota was the opportunity for the bench players to get game time. For some guys it was their first tournament and they did a great job!
After 3 losses the team was ready to turn things around and they did. Houston who just missed the semi final in group A was a good opponent. In the first half both teams fought hard to reach the next game for the 5th place. In the second half our team showed a great team performance and we were able to score easy goals, thanks to our excellent defense. In the end we won 27 – 18 and made it to the Game for the 5th place against West Point.
The last game of the tournament against West Point showed that our men’s team has already established a solid team spirit. After 5 goals down in the middle of the second half the team came back to win. The 5th place was reached in the first tournament in the history of the Handball Club Toronto.
Overall the weekend was a positive learning experience for every player and a first small step for our team in the right direction.”
Coach Benny
For more information about the tournament follow this link: Michael Lipov Memorial Cup IX