The Luxembourg Ice Hockey Federation has confirmed that the Luxembourg Hockey League (LHL) will hold its Finals event, entitled “Weekend of Hockey”, on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 April 2023 at the Patinoire Kockelscheuer, to determine the new champion ice hockey team of Luxembourg.
Over 1,500 spectators are expected throughout the weekend, with an estimated 1,000 spectators on Sunday for the grand finale.
Schedule:
- Saturday 1 April:
13:10, D2 Semi-Final #1
15:00, D2 Semi-Final #2
16:50, D1 Semi-Final #1
19:00, D1 Semi-Final #2
- Sunday, 2 April:
12:10, D2 3rd-Place Game
14:00, D1 3rd-Place Game
16:00, D2 Final
18:15, D1 Final (until approx. 20:30)
20:30 approx, Award ceremony
Ice Hockey in Luxembourg has seen explosive growth over the last years; not only have spectator numbers grown (several teams average 400+ spectators per game throughout the
season), but also public interest has risen significantly as clubs are busy taking on board new children and even adults. For a number of years now, all clubs in the country have competed in foreign leagues.
Last year, a new Luxembourg Hockey League (LHL) was created to promote the sport in Luxembourg, with some games attracting up to 900 spectators. Last year’s final also attracted over 1,500 live spectators on Youtube.
The LHL has two divisions, each with four teams:
- Division 1: Beaufort Knights; Hurricanes U20; Tornado Luxembourg; Puckers Luxembourg
- Division 2: Tornado Women; Silverbacks Luxembourg; Cool Puckers; Beaufort Knoghts 2
The regular season is from September to March during which teams compete to determine their final ranking prior to the event at which teams will play the semi-finals on Saturday and the finals on Sunday when the Division 1 and Division 2 champions will be determined. The Division 1 winners will be crowned Champions of Luxembourg.
- The finals on Sunday will determine the winner of Division 2, as well as the winner of
Last year, three of the eight teams were in the race to become champions until the very last game day of the regular season, and even until the last 20 minutes of play, where all three teams could still have won the league. In the end, the Beaufort Knights won.
Luxembourg city’s main club, Tornado Luxembourg, had been reigning champion for over 20 years, until last year, where the Beaufort Knights shook up the scene by beating the favorite team within the last 15 minutes of the last regular season game and claiming the title Champion of Luxembourg. The Tornados, who had a rough season, finished third in the LHL. The Puckers Luxembourg finished last season in second place, and have proved that this year they have their eyes on the title as well.
The Tornados are up for revenge, the Knights will try to defend their title, and the Puckers will try to be the rising underdog.
This year, all title contenders are having strong seasons in their respective foreign leagues (France, Belgium) where they all qualified for the playoffs as well, and are
showing themselves in great shape.
In the second division, there will also be promising games, as all four teams are in almost equal shape and offering hard-fought games. The winner of that division will be
promoted to the first division.
The Finals event will be the last activity before the summer break, with action to resume in September.
