Unfortunately because we lost our first game we had to play the early game at 9 am yesterday vs. HC Red Star Sofia who from what I hear is made up of mostly national jr. players from Bulgaria . So yeah we were in tough again . We left our gear at the rink and got a ride with our team mates this time :)
I didn't start the game but our other goalie came out and played really well for the first period and we were only down 4-0 after the first . Obviously our team was a bit outclassed and these guys were not about to let up . The second period started and our keeper got lit up and it's not his fault that we were down 7-0 and he had enough and waved me on early . Obviously a miracle wasn't going to help us but I tried my best !
I was not too happy with the refereeing and it was obvious the refs were on the other team as they wore the other teams logo on their back ?!?!? Yeah the one young guy was good but I don't think they understand the concept of fair play and really didn't do much to help us out as we were by far the weakest team in this tournament . No offense to my team mates :) please don't be upset guys ! We tried our best and it is what it is . The team we played were not letting up either as they peppered me with shots and even at one point speared me in my groin trying to jam at a puck ??? It's 9-0 guys take it easy for f*%k's sake !
The final was 11-0 and I wasn't impressed with the team we played so when it came time to make a picture with then I was not interested ! We stayed in same hotel as these guys and not one of them had the social grace to talk to any of us so yeah they can eat shit lol ! All the other teams were social and a great time to be with so you can understand these guys were just ass' .
After the game out Iraklis team mates had to drive home and Rainer and myself stuck around to watch the final between HK Metalurg Skopje & HK Spartak Subotica which was a nail biter with some very questionable penalties .... I can't believe these guys are IIHF refs but it's better then nothing right :) Skopje went on to win 5-4 and our good friends were very happy . Jure played amazing as he should :p after the game we were invited for lunch by the President of the Macedonian Ice Hockey Federation and we took a cab to drop our gear at hotel then headed over to Berovec Restaurant . 
We had a great meal there and I had the opportunity to record a small interview with Nikola Tasev ( federation president ) which was great . He is a great guy ! He is putting together a great environment for his players and I am sure ice hockey is in good hands here with him in charge . They will start a league and join other leagues and Metalurg will play up to 50 games a year probably starting next year ... How awesome is that !
We said our good byes with lots of hugs and handshakes then we headed back to hotel where it was much lonelier without all our new friends but Rainer and myself made the most of our time by relaxing and laughing about the great weekend we had here . We went for kebap , stuffed our faces and went back to chill out with the hotel receptionist Kire who is by far the most amazing hotel worker I have ever met !
It is amazing how well we were all treated by the federation so I would like to thank them and HK Metalurg for having us here , also thank you so much for everything Zoki ... You are such a passionate guy ! Thank you to Hotel VIP for being so hockey friendly to us all and last but not least thank you Skopje for having such lovely people . I would more then happy to come back here again and I would highly suggest anyone that reads this comes here also .... Hope to see you all sooner then later . Bye :)
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