We’re kicking off the Andersen League’s record-breaking season as defending champions
Machine-translated from Hungarian.
The fifth season of the Andersen League kicks off on 26 September, and the second-tier league boasts the largest field in the competition’s history: 14 teams have entered. We take to the ice as defending champions — having won the championship for the third time in a row in Jászberény this spring.
The expansion has also changed the format of the competition. The 14 teams have been divided into an eastern and a western group, with teams playing each other home and away. After the regular season, the field is split in two: the top three teams from each group advance to the upper division, whilst the teams ranked 4th to 7th move to the lower division, where they play a further half-round of fixtures.
The real novelty is that the position achieved in the regular season is not lost. The group winners advance to the upper division with 3 points, the runners-up with 2, third-placed teams 1 point; in the lower division, the fourth-placed teams start with 3 points, the fifth-placed teams with 2, the sixth-placed teams with 1, and the seventh-placed teams with 0 points. The autumn months therefore determine not only the final standings within each group, but also the starting positions for the spring phase.
Alongside the teams from the upper division, the top two teams from the lower division qualify for the play-offs. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are played until one side has won two matches, whereas in the final, three wins are required to lift the trophy.
We will have six opponents in the Western Group: MAC Budapest AHC, HKB, Egerszegi Titánok, DUE-Angels, as well as the championship’s two newcomers, Kárpáti Farkasok and Lizards. This is the first time in the club’s history that it has fielded a senior team, whilst the Lizards will host their opponents at the MET Arena. Meanwhile, the Dunaújváros team have moved back from Érd to their own ice rink — we’ll be travelling to see them in December.
Our opponents in the spring final, Lehel HC, have been drawn in the eastern group this time, so we won’t face them in the regular season. If both teams qualify for the upper bracket, we may meet them again in the middle stage.
We have 12 matches to play in the regular season, six at home and six away. Match days will continue to be on Saturdays, from late September to early January. We’ll be travelling to Zalaegerszeg for our opening match, as guests of the Egerszegi Titánok.
Our first home match will take place on 3 October: we’ll be hosting the newly promoted Kárpáti Farkasok at the Győr University Ice Sports Centre. Let’s create another unforgettable atmosphere in the stands!
We’ll also wrap up the regular season at home against HKB: the match, originally scheduled for the day after Christmas, will now be played on 2 January 2027. Our final match of the year will therefore take place on 19 December in Dunaújváros, followed by a two-week break for the festive season.
As well as the league, we’re competing in the EUHL again this year, where we finished the spring season with a bronze medal and individual awards. Our first international fixture will be on home ice: between 14 and 16 October, we will be hosting the University of Győr Hockey Cup for the fifth time.
The full fixture list is available on our matches page, and we’re regularly showcasing the squad on our social media pages. We’ve got an exciting autumn ahead of us — come on, UNI GYŐR ETO!