On Friday, September 18, the stage of determining the participants in the decisive match of the 2026 Anatoliy Khorozov Ukrainian Hockey Cup was completed. In the final, the national trophy will be contested by Kyiv's «Sokol» and «Kremenchuk» — two teams that have each lifted the cup twice and now aspire to the status of three-time holders. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the tournament results.
«Sokol» advanced to the final without problems
The first finalist was the capital's «Sokol», which for the second time defeated the «Boguslav Hornets» with a score of 7:2. The Kyiv team decided the fate of the match already in the first period, scoring three unanswered goals, and then only widened their lead, allowing the opponent to reply with just two goals of prestige. I remind you that in the first match of this pairing «Sokol» had an even larger advantage — 10:1, which underscores the difference in class between the teams at this stage of the tournament.
«Kremenchuk» broke through via a high-scoring match
The second ticket to the final was won by «Kremenchuk», which in a high-scoring encounter dealt with «Odeshchyna» (7:4). The highlight of the game was the second period, in which the teams combined for eight goals: «Odeshchyna» twice narrowed the gap to a minimum, but «Kremenchuk», thanks to successful power-play play and a strong finish, put all questions about the winner to rest. In this group of three teams, «Kremenchuk» also defeated Kherson's «Dnipro» (9:2), while the «Odeshchyna» — «Dnipro» match ended 5:4 in favor of the Odesa side.
Final at the Kremenchuk «Iceberg»
The decisive battle for the Ukrainian Cup between «Sokol» and «Kremenchuk» will take place on Saturday, September 19, at the Kremenchuk «Iceberg» arena. The match starts at 12:00. The game is set to be a matter of principle: both teams are the most decorated in the tournament's history, and it is this final that will determine who first in the new history of the trophy becomes a three-time champion.
History of the Anatoliy Khorozov Trophy
The Ukrainian Hockey Cup is the second most important national tournament among the country's hockey clubs. Since 2022, the competition has officially borne the name of Anatoliy Khorozov — the first president of the Ukrainian Hockey Federation and the only Ukrainian inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame; his portrait is depicted on the 30-kilogram trophy cup. The tournament was first held in March 2007 with the participation of six teams, and the first holder was Kyiv's «Sokol», which in the final defeated Broyar's «Berkut» (7:3). The second edition took place only 14 years later — in January 2022, when the winner was again «Sokol», which in the final overcame HK «Kremenchuk» (4:1). Thus, the current final will be a continuation of the long-standing duel between the two strongest clubs of Ukrainian hockey.
