2008-2009 CONTINENTAL CUP
FIXTURES Group A.

Date	Game code	Home team	Visiting team	Starting time
19 September	A1	KHL MLADOST	DUNDALK	16:00
19 September	A2	HC NOVI	SAD SLAVIA	19:30
20 September	A3	SLAVIA	KHL MLADOST	16:00
20 September	A4	DUNDALK	HC NOVI SAD	19:00
21 September	A5	DUNDALK	SLAVIA	16:00
21 September	A6	HC NOVI	SAD KHL MLADOST	19:00

In Ice Hockey's equivalent of Football's Champions League, the Dundalk Bulls Ice Hockey Club are Ireland's first ever entrants in the IIHF 2008/09 Continental Cup, and take on KHL Mladost from Zagreb in Croatia , Slavia Sofia from Bulgaria and the host team HC Novi Sad of Serbia where all 6 Group A games will be played over three days.

The Dundalk team that won the inaugural Irish Ice Hockey League's A Division last year, will have to overcome huge disadvantages to compete with vastly experienced Eastern European teams with long histories in this competition. The Bulls have rarely had to leave their Co. Louth home rink where all I.I.H.L. games are played so this is yet another hurdle to overcome.

Should fortune favour the brave Bulls, they will go forward to the next round in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania. Bulls coaches Jim Tibbetts and Tony Griffin, Equipment Manager John Crawley, and Players Stevie Balmer, Hugh Smyth, Gareth Martin and brothers Davy and Willie Morrison will have good reason to remember that epic trip. They were all part of the Team Ireland party that competed there earlier this year in Division 2 of the I.I.H.F. World Championships.

The Bulls fly out to Serbia next Thursday Sept.18th and take the high hopes of Irish Ice Hockey with them.

GO BULLS!

Written by IIHA, September 15th, 2008