Saturday, January 24, 2009

Cup Final Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the big cup final, and we are meeting Marienlyst for the fourth time this season. Last week's match against them was unspectacular for both teams, and it really seemed like both sides were pretty flat, almost as though we didn't want to celebrate things too much, for fear of not being excited enough when we met again a week later. That certainly won't be the case Sunday, and I know everyone is looking forward to this match. We've got a bus of supporters coming down with us, and around 2,000 spectators are expected. Those of you who can't make it to the game can follow the live-score online here. The match starts at 15:30 (6:30 am Pacific).

Here's some more information about the game:

Cup History:
Aalborg HIK: Champion in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003; Runner up in 2002
Marienlyst: Champion in 2004 and 2007

Elitedivision Records:
Marienlyst: 11-1 (1st)
Aalborg HIK: 7-4 (3rd)

Head to head matchup this season:
Marienlyst leads 3-0

Aalborg's Route to the Final:
1/8 Final: Forfeit win against Amager
1/4 Final: Holte 0 - 3 Aalborg HIK
Semifinal: Aalborg HIK 3 - 0 Middelfart

Marienlyst's Route to the Final
1/8 Final: Korsør-Slagelse 1 - 3 Marienlyst
1/4 Final: Hvidovre 0 - 3 Marienlyst
Semifinal: Gentofte 0 - 3 Marienlyst

Quotes:
Marienlyst coach Mikkel Hauge: "They will win if we don't play our best. The difference [between the teams] is not that great. They are talking a lot about Shaun Powell as 'the man' we can always set as a last resort."

Aalborg HIK assistant coach Wagner Foldberg: "Winning the cup final first of all demands that we find the right level of excitement. We are going need more 'wildness' and have to be ready from the first serve. It won't work if we, as in Saturday's game, need a set to find out it's for real."