Sports

Ukraine victorious in pair of friendlies

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In the first of two warm-ups for the 2016 European Football Championship to be played in France from June 10 to July 10, Ukraine defeated Cyprus, 1-0. The international friendly match was played at Chorno-morets Stadium in Odesa on March 24. Taras Stepanenko’s first-half goal (40th minute) earned an experienced Ukraine side the victory in a free-flowing match. The home side, playing without a few key injured players and substituting freely in the second half, tinkered with its line-up while preparing for the upcoming Euro 2016. At the start, Ukraine’s head coach Mykhaylo Fomenko fielded his first team, minus key injured forwards Yevhen Konoplyanka and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and top goaltender Andriy Pyatov.

Sports

Ukrainian pro hockey update

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Ukrainians abound in junior and minor leagues

Researching rosters in the three major junior and three professional minor leagues reveals some 45 and 52 players of Ukrainian descent, respectively. A further breakdown shows 32 Ukrainian pucksters in the Western League, 15 in the Ontario League and seven in the Quebec League. Professionally speaking, we found 27 Ukrainians in the American Hockey League, 16 in the East Coast League and four in the Southern Pro League. It is safe to say there will be a fair Ukrainian representation in the National Hockey League for many years to come. How many of these hopefuls successfully achieve their ultimate goal will depend on the degree of their development.

Sports

Ukrainian sports update: college basketball

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Mykhailiuk arrives at Kansas

In the course of a week in September 2014, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk went from playing against some of his biggest heroes on the U.S. team at the World Cup to figuring out where his classes were on the campus at Kansas. What a whirlwind experience for the then-17-year-old sharpshooter from Ukraine. College basketball experts were referring to Mykhailiuk as one of the sport’s most tantalizing enigmas in the 2014-2015 season. The rangy swingman could handle the ball, hit the outside shot and be in a position to jump to the pros in a couple of years. Yet he didn’t merit a blip on the recruiting radar until late in the process, even in an era when top talent is now discovered in grade school.

Sports

Ukrainian heritage plus Devils hockey equals power play event

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NEWARK, N.J. – In the olden days of rock ‘em/sock ‘em hockey, fans would say they went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. On Sunday, February 14, at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., fans went to a hockey game only to witness a Ukrainian festival. Ukrainians are nothing if not a very proud people with a rich culture based on many traditions, especially in the realm of performing arts. Moreover, when it comes to customs, music and dance, Ukrainians are very proficient at teaching their future generations the wealth and importance of these cultural traditions and celebrating them at public events. The Devils hockey franchise, located for 32 years in New Jersey, has built its own rich tradition with 22 winning seasons culminating with three Stanley Cup championships in nine years.

Sports

Ukrainian pro hockey update

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Senyshyn surprisingly selected 15th overall

The Hockey News Draft Preview rated him the 47th top prospect in the 2015 NHL Draft. TSN’s Bob McKenzie had him No. 40, while NHL’s Central Scouting’s final rankings listed the young Ukrainian hopeful at No. 38. When Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney called his name as the 15th overall pick, Zach Senyshyn was caught off guard.

Sports

Wladimir Klitschko’s reign comes to an end

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Perhaps he was still suffering from the calf injury that postponed the original bout. Maybe the long layoff (since April 25) took its toll on the aging champion. Then again, the 39-year-old veteran of the fight game may have finally succumbed to the age factor. The three judges scored the fight 115-112, 115-112 and 116-111 – a unanimous decision. Great Britain’s Tyson Fury outpointed champion Wladimir Klitschko in a heavyweight championship bout at ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, on November 28.

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Ukrainian pro sports update: soccer

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Shakhtar exiled from Donetsk

The ball strikes the back of the goal, the crowd swells, but not with its usual electricity. There are no fireworks, no orange smoke, no anthems are sung. The mere 2,000 fans present on March 14 in the 35,000-seat stadium to witness the Donetsk derby soccer match between Shakhtar and Olimpik only randomly rise and applaud. A group of youngsters lets out screams, but no organized chants. Absent are Shakhtar’s hard-core fans: the rowdy, shirtless and sometimes mask-clad crew of young men known as “ultras.”

The simple explanation for the above abnormalities is because the match took place not on the team’s home field in war-torn Donetsk, but 700 miles west in Lviv.

Sports

Ukrainian pro hockey update

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Dubnyk’s resurgence a headline story

Minnesota Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk highly appreciates the best season of his career because it followed a summer of great discontent. The 27-year-old was forced into some serious soul-searching at the conclusion of the 2013-2014 campaign after being moved from the Edmonton Oilers to the Nashville Predators and finally to the Montreal Canadiens, who opted not to bring him back. In the course of one year he went from being the No. 1 goalie in Edmonton to being a minor leaguer. Five years in the NHL meant nothing at the start of last summer (2014), when Dubnyk found himself without a job.

Sports

Ukrainian pro sport update: cycling

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Grivko riding for peace

The 31-year-old cyclist resides in France after living next door in Italy. He finds Monaco perfect for training and relaxation. It helps the cause to know his wife and family are comfortable in their new surroundings. Tuscany gave way to Monaco, which offers a better climate while being a small, yet large metropolitan area. Andrei Grivko’s prior home in Tuscany had weeks of cold weather and snow, making training far more difficult.

Grivko’s father passed his sport down to his son, getting him into cycling at an early age.

Sports

Ukrainian pro sports update: soccer

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Rebrov working miracles as Dynamo coach

On the bus from a 3-0 league victory at FC Vorskla Poltava last November, star Dynamo Kyiv striker Andriy Yarmolenko burst out singing the Serhiy Rebrov fans’ song. In a matter of seconds his teammates joined in as a tribute to a coach who has totally turned around the soccer franchise since his arrival. It was one year in April of this year since Oleh Blokhin’s dismissal and Rebrov’s taking charge of the squad. Many have stated the 40-year-old manager is working miracles in his position. At the outset the plan was for Rebrov to act in a temporary capacity through the end of the 2013-2014 season.