We are only a couple days away from the start of the MOL League season and you can already feel the excitement. In the sixth season of the MOL League the keywords will be continuity and stability.
For the first time after five seasons the league returns with the same teams as they had started the previous season. With stability seemingly being achieved this has lead to the level of the league being raised.
On the up
The MOL League has slowly closed the gap between itself and elite leagues from the surrounding countries. Csaba Kovács snr., vice-president of the Hungarian Ice Hockey Federation said that the MOL League is getting closer to the Slovakian Extra League, for example MOL teams had beaten clubs form the Extra League during the preseason.
Just for a refresher the MOL League will once again have two clubs from Budapest, Ferencváros (FTC) and Újpest (UTE), two clubs from the Hungarian countryside in Dunaújváros (Dab.Docler) and Miskolc (Miskolci Jegesmedvék). Joining the four Hungarian teams will be the two Transylvanian squads, HSC Csíkszereda (Miercurea Ciuc) and ASC Corona 2010 Brasov, and the Slovak club that was new to the league last year HC Mikron Nové Zámky.
Teams wait in line
There were two other clubs that applied for admittance into the league for the 2013-2014 season. Debrecen HK had formally applied as well as a reformed version of the former Vasas Budapest Stars, under the name of Vasas SC.
Vasas did not receive entry to the league among other reasons because they did not have an actual full adult roster that they could put onto the ice at that time. The club from Debrecen made it past the first round but in the end the club and federation decided that it might be better to wait one more season before making the big jump.
Outdoor festivities
One new addition to the MOL League schedule will be not one but two outdoor games this coming December. After the success of the overtime "Winter Classic" in 2009 that FTC won 2-1 over UTE in overtime on a goal by Kim Kauttonen. The matches are set to be played on the rink found in the city park behind Hero's Square in the middle of December.
Regardless of how the season turns out the sport that is poetry on ice is back in action this Monday, September 2nd with HC Mikron Nové Zámky hosting defending champions Dunaújváros.
Szabolcs Závodszky
@Zavodszky
Fotos: László Mudra (MJSZ), Flickr/photoreti