Elite League teams go Dutch as Destil Trappers visit the UK

by UK American Sports Fans

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Fans of Braehead and Belfast will have seen their teams lock horns recently with Dutch team Destil Trappers from Tilburg. The Trappers played pre-season games against the Clan and Giants but went home empty handed after 4-1 and 5-4 defeats. Although losing both, forward and captain Diederick Hagemeijer was positive about their usefulness, “They were both good games and it was a good opportunity for us to get used to our system”.

The first game against Braehead was too much of a warmup for the Trappers and the Clan scored 4 unanswered goals and it wasn’t until 57:14 in the game before Van Hulten found the net for the visitors. Hagemeijer was phlegmatic in his post match analysis, “Its preseason but obviously you want to win every game. The game against Braehead was good to get used to playing a hockey game again.” This game was the first pre-season game for the Trappers and it appears to have shown.

The improvement in the game against Belfast was noticeable as the Trappers scored early. Both teams traded goals, and physicality, until Mark Garside netted for the Giants with less than two minutes left on the clock. The game went into overtime and it was Brock Matheson who won the game for the home team. Again, Hagemeijer gave an honest appraisal of events, “I think it was a good game and a lot of fun to play.”

Having visitors from mainland Europe come and play is excellent for UK fans and teams alike. Being exposed to different styles and approaches can only improve teams. “It was very good hockey – a up-tempo style of hockey and good physical play” commented the visitors captain on being asked about the style of play faced.

The Destil Trappers play in the a league called the North Sea Cup, and they are joined by teams from Eindhoven, The Hague, Geleen, Heerenveen, Herentals, Amsterdam and Leuven. The league was restructured 2 years ago to its current format and the North Sea Cup has been won by HYS The Hague. Last season, they finished third after a semi-final loss to Geleen. In its previous format, the Trappers won 13 ‘Eredivisie’ championships.

Hopefully, the Clan and Giants fans appreciated seeing different players on their home ice. I, for one, hope to see the Trappers, and other European teams, on these shores again.