Like at the oratory. Like in the good times. Like when we went – and still go – to the Torbiera di Ganna. You can always find a goal, you just need to bring a puck, even an improvised one, and a hockey stick.
Four kids play hockey in the street, in front of their house: we are not in Bolzano, where the other evening more than 5 thousand spectators attended game 4 of the Ice Hockey League semi-final between the Volpi and Salzburg (we are on 2- 2 and game 5 will be played tonight at the Red Bull Arena in the Austrian city). It happens in Varese, under the rain of recent days which accompanies the Mastini to the first final on Saturday against Pergine: the “theatre” is Bizzozero, inside a residential neighborhood, and the four – who have fixed the door in the garage of a building – regardless of the time they continue to play, hitting the stick on the asphalt, passing the puck to each other and trying to send it into the “goal”.
The scene provokes a shiver exactly like the one triggered by the video posted some time ago by Sergio Visentin, a historic yellow and black fan, with the summary of the match between Varese and Fassa which earned Kronenbourg the scudetto in ’89 in the yellow and black wall of Palalbani. As if a bridge in space and time has since arrived in today’s Varese to unite the generations of the “fathers” and the yellow and black champions with the young people of today, who are holding the baton of a faith and a passion that has survived many years of famine, emptiness and suffering.
If those four boys play hockey on the streets of Varese we owe it to players who, for us, are no less valuable than those of Bolzano who are playing in Austria: from Vanetti to Raimondi, from Mazzacane to Borghi and all the others who have joined in this closed circle with a story in motion again, on the wings of a faith shared by adults with children.
For the quartet of young people from Varese in front of their home garage, these Mastini do not play in the IHL, Alps or Ice, they are not inferior or superior to Bolzano, Asiago, Cortina or Renon. They are, quite simply, our favorite team like Kronenbourg or Shimano were for many of us.
Tickets for the final
Today, Thursday, pre-emption reserved for season ticket holders, from 8am to 11pm, available for game 1 and game 3 at the Acinque Ice Arena.
From tomorrow, Friday 29 March, starting from 8 am, free sale.
Ticket Prices IHL Finals Game 1 (Saturday 30 March at 6.30 pm) and Game 3 (Thursday 4 April at 8.30 pm)
- Central Grandstand 28 euros (Reduced 22 euros for Under 18s)
- Lateral Grandstand 22 euros (Reduced 18 euros for Under 18s)
- Curva Gold 16 euros (Reduced 12.90 euros for Under 18s)
- Curva 12 euros (Reduced 10 euros for Under 18s)
Tickets can be purchased through the Liveticket circuit by clicking HERE.
The competition calendar
Race 1, Saturday 30 March: Varese-Pergine (6.30pm)
Race 2, Tuesday 2 April: Pergine-Varese (8.30pm)
Race 3, Thursday 4 April: Varese-Pergine (8.30pm)
Race 4, Saturday 6 April: Pergine-Varese
Possible race 5, Tuesday 9 April
Possible race 6, Thursday 11 April
Possible race 7, Saturday 13 April
Do you want to stay informed about Mastini Varese and have your say?
Sign up for our free service! Here’s how to do it:
– add the number 0039 to your WhatsApp contact list 340 4631748
– send a message with text VARESE MASTIFFS
– the double tick confirms receipt of the request.
The messages will be sent in broadcast mode, so no subscriber will be able to see other people’s contacts, your anonymity is guaranteed compared to anyone else.
VareseNoi.it will use them only for the purposes of this service and will not share them with anyone else.
To deactivate the service, simply send a WhatsApp message with the text STOP MASTINI VARESE at any time to the number 0039 340 4631748.
