Riihimaki Cocks won the final of the Baltic Handball League (BHL) and claimed the title when the Final Four ended last Sunday night in Minsk. It was the fourth consecutive year for the Finnish club to raise the trophy.
 
Cocks defeated ZTR Zaporozhye 23:22 (10:11) in a weekend of tight matches, while SKA Minsk won the bronze medal after beating Dragunas Klaipeda 27:26 (13:13).
 
“For spectators this Final Four was a real spectacle. We managed to turn the end of matches to our favour and I believe one reason is the experience we got in the EHF Champions League. But mainly, as our team has great team spirit and motivation,” said Cocks coach Gintaras Savukynas.
 
Cocks’ victory comes after they ranked fifth out of six teams in Group A at the end of the regular season. They played an exceptional knock-out phase, defeating Serviti Polva in the quarter-final to reach the Final Four. Cocks then won the semi-final against SKA Minsk 26:24 following a penalty shoot-out, thereby qualifying for the final against ZTR Zaporozhye.
 
Zaporozhye reached the trophy match by way of a 33:22 victory over Dragunas Klaipeda in the other semi-final.
 
12 teams started the season back in September, with a total of 70 matches played until the final whistle on Sunday.
 
Cocks’ winning run in the BHL began in 2016, when they defeated Minsk 36:32 in the final. In 2017 they won 20:18 versus ZTR, and in 2018 they beat Serviti Polva 26:23.
 
More information on the Baltic Handball League can be found on the official website.
 
Photo: Baltic Handball League