HC ALKALOID – HC RADOVISH 33-23 (11-14)

Venue: Avtokomanda in Skopje. Referees: Silvana Karbeska and Marija Ilieva. Delegate: Ljupcho Janevski

HC ALKALOID: Kizikj, Trajkoski 1, Djonov 4, Petrov, Mladenovikj 1, Serafimov 4, Karasmanakis 1, Stojkovikj 4, Gjorgiev 1, Simonoski 1, Bingo 4, Silva 4, Petkovski 6, Savrevski 1, Garbeski 1

Seven-meter throws: 2/2 Suspensions: 8 min.

HC RADOVISH: Ristov, Petrov, J. Gjorgjiev, Postolov 6, Markovikj, Jankovski 3, Sokolov, Stojanoski 3, K. Gjorgiev, Stojanov 2, Talevski 2, Trajanov, Onchev 5, Kostadinov, Atanasov 2, Kostadinovski

Seven-meter throws: 2/2 Suspensions: 10 min.

HC Alkaloid hosted the team of HC Radovish at home for the second championship round. Following their first-round derby victory over HC Vardar 1961, HC Alkaloid triumphed against HC Radovish, easily winning by a 10-goal margin (33-23).

Head coach Kiril Lazarov selected a combined squad for this match, leaving out Marko Mitev, Damjan Mitev, Nikola Kosteski, Martin Velkovski, Ivan Galevski, and Nikola Markoski.

The visiting side took advantage of HC Alkaloid’s casual play in the first half, particularly in defense, and won comfortably by six goals after 23 minutes of play, leading to a three-goal advantage at halftime.

In the second half, HC Alkaloid tightened up their defense, played with greater focus, equalizing the score after only 2 minutes, and by the 40th minute, went on a 7-0 run to secure a solid six-goal lead (26-20).

HC Alkaloid had complete control on the court to the very end, winning by a comfortable 10-goal margin.

Winger Aleksandar Petkovski was the team’s top scorer with six goals, followed by Martin Serafimov, Arnaud Bingo, Marko Stojkovikj, Ivan Djonov, and Francisco e Silva, each contributing four goals.

HC Alkaloid will play its first away match of the season against HC Butel Skopje in the upcoming round.

HC ALKALOID – HC VARDAR 1961 33-30 (18-17)

Venue: Avtokomanda in Skopje. Referees: Mihajlo Ilievski and Metodija Ilievski. Delegate: Dragan Nachevski

HC ALKALOID: Galevski (5/1 saves), Kizikj (3 saves), Djonov 2, Markoski, Kosteski 6, Mladenovikj, Serafimov 8, Karasmanakis, Stojkovikj 1, Mitev 8, Gjorgiev 4, Velkovski 1, Simonoski 2, Bingo 1, Silva, Petkovski

Seven-meter throws: 4/4 Suspensions: 10 min.

HC VARDAR 1961: Espinha (7 saves), Gogov, Jagurinovski, Alarov, Stojanovski, Georgievski 4, Hanser, Krsmancic 2, Tankoski 3, Kooij 2, Lazarevski 6, Horiha 5, Srdanovic 3, Nikolic 1, Margheli 4, Kosevski

Seven-meter throws: 2/3 Suspensions: 4 min.

Following their 33-30 triumph over Eurofarm Pelister in the Super Cup, HC Alkaloid began the Super League with an identical victory of 33-30 against HC Vardar 1961 in a major derby encounter.

From the start of the game, both teams played strong, executing swift transitions and quick yet potent attacks. We held a three-goal lead (8–5) after 12 minutes since our team was more suited for this game. The opposition team’s coach then requested a time-out, which allowed the game to pick up a more balanced pace.

At this time, HC Alkaloid controlled the outcome for a while, but HC Vardar managed to tie the score and even took the lead once. However, Nikola Kosteski’s incredible goal earned HC Alkaloid a goal edge at halftime.

In the second half, our team took back control. Marko Mitev pushed the assault and found ways to get past the opposition’s defense. Meanwhile, our defense was able to stop their main goal scorers thanks to vital saves by goalkeepers Kizikj and Galevski. HC Alkaloid began to assert their dominance ten minutes into the game, establishing leads of 25-21 and 26-22, paving the way to victory.

Vardar made a valiant effort to move closer, closing the gap to 24-26, but was stopped there. We quickly responded with two goals, bringing the score to 29–25, but then the weather began to impact the game. Although we briefly faced pressure at 31-29, two more goals secured our final 33-30 win and earned us our first Super League points of the season.

HC EUROFARM PELISTER – HC ALKALOID 30-33 (14-19)

Venue: 26 April in Gevgelija. Referees: Gjorgji Nachevski and Slave Nikolov. Delegates: Dragan Nachevski and Kamer Metalari

HC EUROFARM PELISTER: Mitrevski, Ivic, Manaskov 4, Cehte, Kuzmanoski 2, Tajnik 1, Borzas 1, Radivojevic 4, Kuzmanovski 5, Abutovic 2, Gjorgovski 2, Petar Atanasijevikj, Peshevski 2, Cikatic, Hosni 4, Pavle Atanasijevikj 4

Seven-meter throws: 5/6 Suspensions: 8 min. Red Card: Filip Kuzmanovski

HC ALKALOID: Kizikj (12 saves), Galevski (3), Djonov, Markoski, Kosteski 8, Mladenovikj, Serafimov 5, Karasmanakis 1, Stojkovikj 1, M. Mitev 6, Gjorgiev 3, Velkovski 1, Simonoski 5, Bingo 3, Oliveira, Petkovski

Seven-meter throws: 4/6 Suspensions: 12 min

HC Alkaloid has claimed the Macedonian Super Cup title. This evening, in Gevgelija, our team won the first trophy of the new season in a straight-up match against the defending champions, HC Eurofarm Pelister, etching their name into the prestigious history of this championship.

HC Alkaloid played a modern, team-oriented game, which was especially noticeable in the first half. The opponents held their own until the score reached 7–7, but from that point on, our team’s strategy began to pay off with each passing minute. After taking a 14–10 lead, HC Alkaloid extended the advantage by one goal, leaving for break with a score of 19–14.

The opposing team strengthened its defense in the second half and quickly erased a two-goal deficit. From that point on, every square inch of the court became a battleground.

Each goal and every save had the potential to shift the outcome of the match. In this game of nerves, our players performed admirably and held onto the lead until the very end.

HC Alkaloid will play its first official match of the new season as a prelude to the start of the championship.

By winning last season’s Macedonian Cup, our team has earned the chance to compete in the Super Cup for the first time, where they will go up against HC Eurofarm Pelister.

HC Alkaloid is primed for this opening challenge, having wrapped up their preparation period with a friendly match in Serbia, following their participation in the memorial tournament in Ohrid. Head coach Kiril Lazarov anticipates a tough and demanding match.

“We’re up against a very strong and skilled team, and I would also say, a more experienced one. This presents a difficult task and a significant challenge for us. We’ll give it our all on the court and hope for a positive outcome. HC Eurofarm Pelister is even stronger than last year, and I expect a high level of play at the Super Cup in Gevgelija,” said Lazarov ahead of the match.

This season’s first trophy will be fought on neutral ground at the 26 April hall in Gevgelija, the selected host city. The match is slated to take place on Wednesday at 19:00h, and will be broadcast live on MTV.

HC DUBOCICA 54 – HC ALKALOID 34-40 (13-17)

SRC Dubocica in Lekovac. Spectators: 250 Referees: Milos Radojicic and Marjan Stefanovic.

HC Alkaloid: Kizikj, Galevski, Djonov 4, Petrov, Markoski, Kosteski 3, Mladenovikj, Serafimov 7, Karasmanakis 2, Stojkovikj 1, Mitev 5, Gjorgiev 7, Velkovski 2, Simonoski, Bingo 6, Petkovski 3

Seven-meter throws: 2/3 Suspensions: 14 min.

Following another victory in the preparation period, HC Alkaloid will return to its Avtokomanda base. This evening, the squad visited Leskovac in order to play HC Dubocica 54 in a friendly match.

HC Alkaloid secured the win, holding a several goal advantage from the eighth minute when they took a 5-4 lead.

After 15 minutes, the lead extended to 9-6, and then to 12-6, with the team maintaining a comfortable advantage, fluctuating by one or two goals until the half’s finish.

The second half played out similarly, with HC Alkaloid consistently holding a 4-6 goal lead and comfortably reaching 40 goals in a composed finish.

HC ALKALOID – HC VARDAR 23-25 (9-15)

Venue: Biljanini Izvori in Ohrid. Referees: Gjorgji Nachevski and Slave Nikolov

HC Alkaloid: Kizikj (10 saves), Djonov 3, Petrov, Kosteski 8, Mladenovikj, Serafimov 4, Karasmanakis, Stojkovikj 1, Mitev, Gjorgjiev 3, Galevski 2 saves, Velkovski, Simonovski 2, Ivanoski, Bingo 1, Silva 1, Petkovski, Stavrevski.

HC Vardar 1961: Jagurinovski 3, Alarov, Stojanovski, Georgievski 3, Rodriguez 3, Krsmanic, Espinha (9 saves), Tankoski, Kooij 1, Lazarevski 2, Horiha 7, Srdanovic 3, Nikolic 1, Petric 1, Margheli 1, Kjoseski, Melo, Gogov.

HC Alkaloid took second place in its debut at the Krste Andonovski memorial tournament in Ohrid. Vardar 1961 won the tournament, held at the Biljanini Izvori arena, taking first place with a score of 25–23 in the final.

Following three victories against HC Dinamo Pancevo, Olympiacos, and HC Lovcen, HC Alkaloid struggled to find their rhythm in the final. The first half saw the squad lose focus, which impacted the score early on and gave the opponents significant advantage.

The game started to stabilize as it progressed. Even though our team managed to balance things out by the end of the first half, they didn’t catch a scoring streak and went into halftime with a score of 9-15.

The game was far from over, as HC Alkaloid started the second half strong with a 3-0 run. As the match went on, their pace picked up, the gameplay got better, and the defense solidified. With 10 minutes left, the difference was down to 20-21 thanks to their strong effort.

A few errors were committed in the attempt to totally reverse the score, however, ending the match with the final result of 23–25.

HC Alkaloid will now return to Skopje to continue their preparations before heading to Gevgelija for the Macedonian Super Cup on September 4.