After the 17th round of the Regional League, three teams are tied at the top of the table with equal points.
As expected, Jadran Herceg Novi defeated Jug Dubrovnik (12:9) and caught up with Radnicki and Novi Beograd, which faced off yesterday. Currently, Jadran is in 1st place because of a better record in head-to-head games among these three teams, but the race for the top position is far from over. Besides, Jadran Split is in 4th place and is also eyeing the top spot. The Croats are just a point behind the leading trio.
Jadran Herceg Novi showed impressive performances in the last two rounds, beating Novi Beograd (13:9) and Jadran Split (11:5). Many believed the Montenegrins would have an easy match against Jug. However, the young team from Dubrovnik put up a strong fight. Although Jug was never in front, the visitors chased Jadran throughout the game. At the first break, Jadran held a narrow 4:3 lead.
In the second period’s first possession, Jug earned a penalty shot, which Zuvela successfully converted to level the score. Midway through the quarter, Jadran scored two goals on power plays, establishing a 6:4 lead. From then on, the teams exchanged goals. Jug cut the deficit to one on four occasions, but Jadran responded with a goal each time.
It wasn’t until the 31st minute that Jadran gained a three-goal lead for the first time, with Strahinja Gojkovic scoring from a 6 on 5 to make it 11:8. In the next possession, Rino Buric answered with a power-play goal. A minute before the end, Dmitri Kholod set the final score – 12:9 with his third goal, making him the best scorer of the match. Jovan Vujovic and Danilo Radovic from Jadran and Marko Zuvela and Vlaho Pavlic from Jug scored two goals each.
Mladost earned the points in the match against Primorac easier than expected. The Zagreb-based team opened the match with a 7:0 explosion, and the Montenegrins couldn’t recover. Konstantin Kharkov contributed seven goals to Mladost’s 15:7 win.
The beginning of the game determined the rest of the encounter Solaris – Sabac, too. Sabac was five steps ahead of Solaris in the second quarter (7:2). In the third period, the visitors increased the margin to six (9:3 and 10:4). After that, Solaris took control, and produced a 6:1 rush to cut the deficit to one goal (10:11). Still, Sabac led by Filip Novakovic (4 goals this evening) held back the hosts’ comeback attempt and recorded a 15:11 victory.
Update, Sunday: Jadran Split made no mistake in the last match of the weekend and earned an away 10:5 over Crvena Zvezda. The first half belonged to the visitors (4:3). In the opening minutes of the 3rd quarter, Crvena Zvezda leveled at 4:4. After that goal and until the middle of the final quarter, Jadran’s defense was perfect. The Split-based team scored five goals in that interval and earned a comfortable 9:4 lead. Four players netted two goals each – Marinic Kragic, Fatovic and Butic of Jadran and Crvena Zvezda’s Dankovic.
2024/25 Regional League, Round 17
Radnicki – Novi Beograd 16:14 (4:5, 5:3, 4:3, 3:3)
Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi – Jug AO 12:9 (4:3, 2:2, 2:2, 4:2)
Mladost – Primorac 15:7 (6:0, 4:2, 4:3, 1:2)
Solaris – Sabac Elixir 11:15 (1:4, 2:4, 6:3, 2:4)
Primorje EB – Valis Vega 19:12 (5:2, 3:2, 4:4, 7:4)
Sunday
Crvena Zvezda – Jadran S 5:10 (1:2, 2:2, 1:3, 1:3)
1. Jadran Herceg Novi 17 – 42
2. Novi Beograd 17 – 42
3.Radnicki 17 – 42
4. Jadran Split 17 – 41
5. Mladost 17 – 35
6. Sabac 17 – 21
7. Crvena Zvezda 17 – 18
8. Primorac 16 – 17
9. Jug AO 16 – 16
10.Primorje 17 – 17
11. Solaris 17 – 11
12. Valis Vega 17 – 1
The mini table of the tied teams: 1. Jadran 6 points (3 games), 2. Novi Beograd 6 (4), 3. Radnicki 3 (3)
