VOJENS, Denmark – The Danish title went to SønderjyskE Vojens for the first time since 2006 and after two years in Herning.

Herning Blue Fox won the regular season this year but couldn’t overcome fourth-seeded SønderjyskE in a final series that went six games.

SønderjyskE won the first two games 3-2 and 4-2 before Herning struck back with 4-2 and 4-0 victories. Then SønderjyskE shone. Thanks two to early goals and Italian forward André Signoretti’s overtime goal, the team won the fifth game in Herning and had it in their hands to win the championship on home ice.

45 seconds before the end of the middle period, Latvian Aleksandr Macijevski scored the 2-2 goal. It became 3-2, 3-3 and 4-3 within six minutes. The last goal from Christoffer Kjærgaard was the game-winner. Herning didn’t find an answer despite playing six-on-four in the last minute and Signoretti scored the 5-3 goal in an empty net. The golden helmet was given to the SønderjyskE team at the little arena of Vojens, packed with a capacity crowd of 2,300.

For SønderjyskE it was the second title since the merger of three hockey teams together with football and handball teams in 2004 to become a sport organization of different cities throughout South Jutland. It’s the fifth overall title, including those won by the forerunner organizations.

While the players and the fans celebrated the championship in the arena and the nearby party tent, the 2008-2009 season was also characterized by the financial crisis. Totempo Hvidovre ceased to exist in January, reducing the number of the teams to nine in the middle of the season. Also other teams faced the same destiny but it stayed at one withdrawal and there might be founded some new organizations to replace the ones plunged in debt.

MARTIN MERK