--- title: "Ukraine defeats Poland in second consecutive match: 'Blue-Yellows' open European Nations Cup with a comeback victory" description: "The Ukrainian national hockey team opened the new European Nations Cup season with a 2:1 win over Poland. The match marked the debut of new coach Oleksandr Bobkin." date: 2026-11-05T21:36:06.250Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-hockey-european-nations-cup-win-poland tags: [ukraine-hockey, european-nations-cup, ice-hockey, poland, world-championship-2027] author: "Andrey Kosynko, Dmitriy Shatolov" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Ukraine defeats Poland in second consecutive match: 'Blue-Yellows' open European Nations Cup with a comeback victory ![Ukrainian hockey players in yellow and blue uniforms celebrating a goal on the ice](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/05/ukraine-hockey-european-nations-cup-win-poland/ukraine-hockey-european-nations-cup-win-poland-1.webp) ## Key Points - Ukraine defeated Poland 2:1 in the first round of the European Nations Cup after trailing in the first period. - Goals for the winners were scored by Trakht and Merezhko (on the power play), while Hofmann scored for Poland (on the power play). - The match was the debut for new head coach Oleksandr Bobkin, who replaced Dmytro Khrystych. - After the first round, Ukraine is in second place with three points, behind leaders Italy (who beat Great Britain 3:0). The Ukrainian national hockey team has started the new European Nations Cup season with a victory. In the first round of the November stage, the 'Blue-Yellows' defeated the hosts, the Polish national team, with a score of 2:1. The match was a true test of character: the Ukrainians were trailing after the first period, but managed to fight back and seize the advantage in the final minutes. A detailed analysis of the match was published on the [Sport RBC.UA portal](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/winter/zbirna-ukrayini-hokeyu-startuvala-evropeyskomu-1793914305.html), upon which this report is based. ### Fighting back after a rough start The Ukrainians lost the first period. Shortly before the break, the Poles capitalized on a power play: Jonas Hofmann pushed the puck past Ukrainian goalkeeper Artur Ohandzhan from close range (assists by Brincus and Gurna, 18:25). The 'Blue-Yellows' leveled the score midway through the second period when Daniil Trakht scored with a powerful and accurate long-range shot, beating the Polish keeper (assist by Bodnar, 29:50) to equalize. ### Decisive strike on the power play The turning point occurred at the beginning of the third period when the Ukrainians utilized a power play of their own. Igor Merezhko remained unmarked and shot precisely into the far corner, putting his team ahead (assists by Peresunko and Denyskin, 44:18). This goal proved to be the winner: Poland could not recover, and the final score of the match was 2:1 in favor of the visitors. ### Debut of Oleksandr Bobkin The match against Poland was the first for the team under the leadership of new head coach Oleksandr Bobkin. He replaced Dmytro Khrystych, whose tenure ended in early July. Thus, the new manager's debut match ended with three points, which is an optimal start for preparation for the season's major tournaments. ### The race for elite status and what lies ahead The European Nations Cup serves as one of the stages for Ukraine's preparation for the 2027 World Championship; it should be recalled that the 'Blue-Yellows' have secured a spot in the elite division of the World Championship. After the first round, Ukraine sits in second place in the standings with three points. Italy leads, having opened the tournament with a 3:0 victory over Great Britain. Within the November stage, the Ukrainians have two more matches to play. Notably, the Ukrainian women's national team also won their opening match at the European Nations Cup. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Сборная Украины по хоккею стартовала в Европейском кубке наций с волевой победы](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/winter/zbirna-ukrayini-hokeyu-startuvala-evropeyskomu-1793914305.html) - Source: Score 2:1, goal scorers, period progression, change to coach Bobkin, table standings (Italy leads). All facts are taken from this source. - [Сборная Украины по хоккею — Расписание матчей](https://ua.tribuna.com/hockey/team/ukraine/schedule/) - Mentions the 2026 World Championship in Division IA in Poland (May 2–8). Does not contradict the main material, but describes a different tournament; not used for article facts. ## FAQ ### What was the final score in Ukraine's victory over Poland? The final score was 2:1. Goals for the victors were scored by Daniil Trakht and Igor Merezhko, and for the Poles by Jonas Hofmann. ### Who is the new head coach of the Ukrainian hockey team? Oleksandr Bobkin. He replaced Dmytro Khrystych, with whom the cooperation ended in early July, making the Poland match his debut. ### Where does Ukraine stand in the table after the first round? In second place with three points. Italy leads after defeating Great Britain 3:0. ### What is the team preparing for in this tournament? The European Nations Cup is a stage of preparation for the 2027 World Championship, for which Ukraine has already qualified for the elite division.