GAME 1: WESTERN WILDCATS 7-8 VINNITSA (UKRAINE)
Despite a great contest it would not have been the start that Western Wildcats` coach Vishal Marwaha would have wanted. His charges were three up at the interval and seemed to be purring along nicely, but then the wheels seemed to come off and Vinnitsa finally claimed the five points with a belated goal for an 8-7 victory.
Wildcats got their noses in front when Andrew McConnell put them ahead from the spot in five minutes, and that was followed by an open play strike from Fraser Moran – 2-0 after the first quarter and all`s well.
It looked even better when Moran sunk a penalty corner four minutes from the break for a comfortable three goal lead.
At the start of the second half it was suddenly 3-3 with quick-fire goals from Oleksandr Solomianyi, Volodymyr Zhmereniuk and Maksum Onofriiuk – and it was game on. Wildcats seemed to recover from the shock and McConnell put them 4-3 ahead, again from the spot.
But then came another barrage of three goals from the Ukrainians through Yurii Dzemukh, Volodymyr Kaplinskyi and Onofriiuk again for a 6-4 lead at the end of a rather challenging third quarter for the Scots – six goals and only one in reply.
But back came Wildcats, Callum Duke reduced the deficit to one, Yurii Moroz regained the two goal cushion, but the Scots were soon level at 7-7 with two goals from Moran in the 37th minute – his fourth of the game.
Just when a share of the points looked the final outcome, Onofriiuk popped up to scored a belated winner and the five points on offer.
Later Wildcats are up against Danish champions Copenhagen who earlier went down 6-3 to host side Plzen-Litice.
