Hockey club Sokol got off to a start that was anything but kind to their opponent in the group stage of the Anatoliy Khorozov Ukraine Cup 2026. In the tournament's debut match, the team recorded a crushing victory over Sherшни with a score of 10:1. The home side effectively decided the outcome of the game in the opening twenty-minute period, then simply extended their lead for the remainder of the match. For Sherшни this became a difficult start to the tournament, while Sokol cemented its status as one of the favorites in Group B.
First period: five goals in twenty minutes
Sokol set a high pace from the opening minutes and scored four times on the power play. According to the protocol, the score was opened by Kalsin at the 2nd minute, followed by Gorishche and Mazur, and by the end of the period Borodai and Mazur each added a goal. The result of the first twenty-minute period was 5:0 in favor of the home team, which predetermined the further course of the match.
The second and third periods
In the second period Sherшни managed to narrow the gap: at the 26th minute Shevchenko converted a power play on a pass from Lesnikov to make the score 1:5. However, Sokol quickly responded with two goals and was already leading by six goals — 7:1 — before the final period. In the closing twenty-minute period the home team continued to control the game and scored three times, bringing the score to 10:1. Mazur recorded a hat-trick in the match.
Contradictory data
There is an inconsistency in the attribution of goals between the description of the match and the list of scorers. In the narrative part of the text, Cherdak is credited with the second goal of the first period and one of the goals of the second period, whereas in the scorers' protocol for those segments Gorishche (04:12 and 32:41) and Borodai (10:07 and 36:23) are listed, while Cherdak is absent from the goal list altogether and is mentioned only as an assistant. Thus, the final score of 10:1 is confirmed, but the exact breakdown of individual goals by player differs across parts of the material, and when citing goal scorers one should rely on the protocol.
Group stage and next match
Sokol and Sherшни compete in Group B of the Ukraine Cup 2026. The second group stage match between these teams will take place on September 18, with the start scheduled for 12:00. In Group A of the tournament, Kremenchuk, Odeshchyna and Kherson's Dnipro are playing. According to the regulations, the winners of both groups will advance to the final, which makes every group stage match crucial in the fight for a place in the tournament's decisive game.
