Salavat Yulaev starts Spengler Cup with local Ambri-Piotta game

UFA, 26 December 2019. /Bashinform News Agency/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/.

Five years later, the Ufa hockey club Salavat Yulaev returned to the New Year’s Swiss tournament Spengler Cup. The last time in 2014, the Bashkir team performed in the Cup final and lost to the Swiss club Geneva-Servette.

This year, the Salavat Yulaev players will meet on December 26 with the Ambri-Piotte club from a Swiss village. On December 27 and 28, the Ufa team will meet either with the Canadian national team (which includes players with a Canadian passport, playing in European leagues), the Czech Ocelarji Trzinec, or the hosts of the tournament - Davos.

The Salavat coaching staff noted that the so-called second squad will play at the Spengler Cup. Goalkeeper Juha Metsola, defenders Grigory Panin, Zakhar Arzamastsev, Alexey Semenov, Mikhail Pashnin, and forwards Peter Khokhryakov, Alexander Kadeikin, Dmitry Kugryshev, and Vladimir Zharkov will not take part in the games.

The Swiss club Ambri-Piotta celebrated its 82nd anniversary this year. For such a rich history, the team has never become the champion of the country, and since 1985, as it entered the elite Swiss league, it never dropped out of it. A thousand people live in the village, but the local hockey club has 40 fan clubs throughout Europe.

Today, Ambri-Piotte is coached by Luca Sereda. The 38-year-old specialist began his career as a striker at the Ambri-Piotta club.