Ten games were on the program of an action-packed weekend in the Dutch Men’s League. Between Friday and Sunday, the matches of the quarterfinals of the playoffs were played.
GZC Donk, ZV De Zaan, AZC and Polar Bears, the top four ranked teams in the regular season, qualified for the semifinals.
There were no surprises, but there were not many easy wins. Many of the games were very close contests, and the one ended in a penalty shootout. AZC ousted UZSC after three very exciting matches. The last one ended in a draw and AZC secured a spot in the semifinals after a penalty thriller.
GZC will play against Polar Bears, and ZV De Zaan will face AZC in the semifinals.
2022/23 Dutch Men’s League, Playoffs, Quarterfinals (best of three)
Pair 1
GZC Donk – Het Ravijn 15:11 (3:3, 4:2, 3:5, 5:1)
GZC Donk: Winkelhorst 3, Van Ijperen 3, Schouwerwou 3, Veenhuis 2, Van den Heuvel 2, Sjardijn 1, Brugue 1.
Het Ravijn: Muller 3, Wouters 2, Gottemaker 2, Stertefeld 1, Aanstoot 1, Loos 1, Ter Brake 1.
Het Ravijn – GZC Donk 7:10 (1:4, 4:1, 1:2, 1:3).
Het Ravijn: Loos 2, Wouters 1, Aanstoot 1, Karel 1, Ter Brake 1, Muller 1.
GZC Donk: Brugue 3, Van IJperen 2, Van der Weijden 2, Sjardijn 1, Schouwerwou 1, Veenhuis 1.
GZC Donk, the first-placed team in the regular season, beat the 2022 champion Het Ravijn in two duels. However, Het Ravijn didn’t surrender easily. In the first match, in Gouda, the teams were in an even contest in the first three periods. Before the final eight minutes, the score was 10:10. GZC broke the rival with a 5:1 fourth quarter.
The second duel was similar. GZC opened the game with a 4:1 lead. Het Ravijn leveled at 5:5 before the middle break. GZC was a slightly better rival in the second half and recorded a 10:7 win.
Pair 2
ZV de Zaan – ZPB H&L Productions 10:8 (4:3, 1:0, 3:3, 2:2)
ZV de Zaan: Janssen 3, Meijn 2, Rempt 2, Brantjes 1, Corver 1, Mandolini 1.
ZPB H&L Productions: Van den Burg 2, Kuller 2, Dentro 1, De Waal 1, Van Niekerk 1, De Ruijter 1.
ZPB H&L Productions – ZV De Zaan 11:14 (1:5, 3:4, 1:4, 6:1)
ZPB: Dentro 5, Van den Burg 3, Van der Velden 2, De Ruijter 1.
ZV De Zaan: Brantjes 3, Mandolini 3, Janssen 2, Corver 2, Meijn 1, Ketelaars 1, Rempt 1, Van der Struijk 1.
ZV De Zaan found it hard to beat ZPB H&L Productions in the first match in Zaandam. Still, the favorite made no mistake and took a 1:0 lead in the series with a 10:8 win. ZV De Zaan dominated in the first three periods of the second match. The visitors entered the final quarter leading 13:5. But, they stopped after the last break. ZPB started coming back. Still, the distance was too big. The hosts reduced the gap to three at the finish (11:14)
Pair 3
AZC – UZSC 8:7 (3:3, 2:2, 2:1, 1:1)
AZC: Nispeling 3, Gulik 2, Van den Heuvel 2, Reuten 1.
UZSC:Willemsen 3, Athymarotis 1
UZSC – AZC 11:10 (3:1, 5:2, 1:1, 2:6)
UZSC: Willemsen 4, Athymaritis 2, De Jong 2, Van den Bersselaar 1, Taylor 1, Kastrop 1.
AZC: Jovanovic 4, Lindhout 2, Nispeling 2, Rouwenhorst 1.
AZC – UZSC 16:15 (1:3, 4:3, 2:0, 1:2, PSO 8:7)
AZC: Reuten 5, Van den Heuvel 4, Jovanovic 3, Nispeling 2, Filipovic 2.
UZSC: Athymaritis 5, Kastrop 4, Willemsen 2, Cvanciger 1, Van den Bersselaar 1, Taylor 1, De Jong 1.
All three encounters between AZC and UZSC were very exciting. One goal separated the rivals in each game.
AZC opened the quarterfinals with an 8:7 victory in Alphen. UZSC did a great job in the first half of the duel on home field in Utrecht. UZSC led 8:3 at halftime and 9:4 before the final eight minutes. AZC dictated the pace in the fourth quarter, but it just reduced the gap to one (10:11), and the series continued with the third match in Alphen.
UZSC started well in the third match. The visitors headed into the second period leading 3:1. AZC had a 7:6 advantage before the final eight minutes, but the game ended in a 8:8 draw. After nine rounds of penalty shots, AZC emerged as a winner – 16:15.
Pair 4
Polar Bears – ZVL-1886 Center 9:7 (4:1, 1:1, 2:2, 2:3)
Polar Bears: Kunz 3, Scherrenburg 1, Van der Horst 1, Wolswinkel 1, Ten Broek 1, Roels 1,Wijgers 1.
ZVL 1886 Center: Simac 2, Spijker 2, Voorvelt 2, Wijnhoven 1.
ZVL-1886 Center – Polar Bears 11:2 (2:1, 5:0, 2:1, 2:0).
ZVL: Simac 3, Brancatello 2, Jovanovic 2, Haasnoot 1, Van Ruiten 1, Van Vierzen 1, Reijchard 1.
Polar Bears:Ten Broek 1, Szoke 1.
Polar Bears – ZVL-1886 Center 10:9 (3:1, 1:4, 4:1, 2:3)
Polar Bears: Kunz 3, Ten Broek 2, Roels 2, Scherrenburg 1, Snel 1, Wolswinkel 1.
ZVL: Haasnoot 3, Spijker 2, Kincses 2, Jovanovic 1, Van Ruiten 1.
Polar Bears made the most of the home-field advantage in the first game. A good opening put the Ede-based team on the right track. But, after a 9:7 victory in the first match, Polar Bears scored only two goals in the duel on ZVL’s pool. The hosts’ goalkeeper Spijker was outstanding in an 11:2 victory.
There were a lot of twists and turns and even 36 exclusions in a tense third game. The game was wide-open until the very end. Polar Bears scored a winner in the 31st minute. The hosts kept a slim advantage in the final minute when ZVL had only six available players. The others were out due to personal fouls.
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