Harvestehuder THC captain Xaver Hasun is looking to bring the Hamburg vibe to the EHL FINAL8 next Easter (venue to be confirmed) following their exceptional hosting two weeks ago.
Their Vossberg home lit up in black and yellow for HTHC’s two days of action having been green and red for the opening two nights when Hamburger Polo Club were in situ.
Both Hamburg clubs made it into the last eight of the men’s competition, making it four German sides in the FINAL8 with Rot-Weiss Köln’s men and Düsseldorfer HC’s women set already qualified.
Reflecting on those days, Hasun said he was “pretty much flabbergasted, overwhelmed” by the volume of support his side had for wins over Scotland’s Western Wildcats and Spain’s Real Club de Polo.
“It was a massive weekend for us and to play in front of those fans, the whole club who tried to make everything possible for us. It is not something normal for us to play in the EHL and we are so happy it all worked out and we are already looking forward to Easter! Let’s see what happens then!”
For Hasun, it was a return to a competition he holds dear after six years away. He played a full role in HTHC’s run to 2014 gold and 2016 bronze.
“The last couple of years, I wasn’t able to watch because it hurts. I was lucky enough to play in two quite successful periods of the EHL but now, as captain of this super club, it is super special. To be in this team and go for the FINAL8, it is really important and special for me.
“100% the fans lifted us and helped us roll with the pinches! I think it was yesterday who got a yellow card after three minutes. That was the first punch we got but the guys were always there, helping us through every part of the game. In the end, we were able to give something back against a strong Spanish side and so we are super happy.”
He also paid a quick tribute to his city rivals Polo for bringing the atmosphere in their EHL debut weekend.
“They played superb. I saw the game on the Thursday and was quite sure they would get through. They were calm and also brought a great crowd here and so we are happy for them as there are a lot of guys we really like there, friends. In the moment, though, I am really happy for us!”