The first matches of the group stage of the Liga Stavok Phygital Hockey were held at the Kazan Ice Arena on Monday, February 19. Each game consisted of two stages: first, the participants competed in a hockey simulator, and then on real ice in the 3×3 format.
Group A
Baltic Select – Quetzales Mexico Na – 12:9 (4:6)
In the opening match of the tournament, teams from the Baltic States and North America met, and they pleased the fans with a large number of goals scored. The Quetzales Mexico Na hockey players played better in interactive hockey, with Sam Blais standing out. They led 6-4 before the physical stage, and for a long time there was an intense struggle on the ice rink. Both teams actively attacked, but at the end of the match, Baltic Select seized the initiative and, thanks to goals from Nikita Zantmans and Kirils Tambijevs, secured the victory.
“I am disappointed with the outcome of the match. Our team prepared well, but it was not enough. We underestimated the opponent,” admitted Carlos Fornaris, captain of Quetzales Mexico Na. “I think phygital sports is a great idea, and Games of the Future is a unique event. We are impressed, surprised and happy. It’s incredibly beautiful around, the organization is at a very professional level. I’m enjoying this moment. When I was offered to participate, I gladly agreed.”
“The execution and preparation of Games of the Future is at the highest level. We liked everything. The opponents are great, it was interesting to play against them. The most important thing was to cool down your own emotions during the game and play with a cool head,” Nikita Zantmans commented on the game.
Liga Pro Team – Barys Cyber Team – 10:7 (6:1)
The hockey players of the Liga Pro Team were significantly stronger at the digital stage, scoring six goals against one from the opponent. Maxim Krinitsyn and Sergey Filippov scored two goals each. But on the ice, Barys “bit” until the last seconds and was able to reduce the gap in the score. The performance of the Kazakh team player Abil Shyngyskhan flashed, who hit the goal six times! However, the Liga Pro Team still retained the victory.
“We just warmed up in this game, it will be better from now on. It’s harder for us to play on joysticks because we don’t understand the nuances. We have gathered guys from different parts of the country, but we quickly became a team,” Abil Shyngyskhan said. “The competition was named Games of the Future for a reason. I am sure that phygital sports will develop. The symbiosis of joysticks and a real game is just wow!”
“We do not disclose the details of our training, this is the key to victory. I can only say that we had a serious two-week training camp before the tournament. So far, we are just rolling the ice. I think “plus 3″ is not a confident enough victory. But there will be more to come! And we really liked the venue in Kazan. The fans here are great, sometimes they encouraged us during the game,” summed up the captain of the Liga Pro Team Sergey Filippov.
Second stage
February 20
14:00 Moscow time
Baltic Select – Liga Pro Team
15:30 Moscow time
Quetzales Mexico Na – Barys Cyber Team
Group B
Inter – Feniks – 2:8 (0:3)
The team from Uzbekistan showed a more coordinated game both in the interactive part of the match and on real ice. But this is not surprising, because Inter has hockey players from 7 different countries, and they needed time to play together. Only when the score was 4-0, Feniks allowed the opponents to score a couple of goals, after which they regained the initiative and scored four more goals.
“First of all, I want to mention a very cool organization. There are so many people involved who help with everything. The opening match was great, although there was excitement in the eyes of the guys from the team. We must pay tribute to the opponents, they started taking risks at the end, so we scored two goals into an empty net,” Denis Kondratiev, captain of Feniks, shared his opinion. “I think Games of the Future is an important holiday not only for athletes, but also for the whole of Kazan”
“Our team has players from seven countries, and it’s not easy. There are subtleties in communication, in mentality, but we play along and gain momentum. But at the end of the game, we caught a little agony. It is interesting that the whole team met on the ice for the first time only yesterday in Kazan. And we were preparing for the phygital part remotely,” Inter captain Ivan Rybchik revealed the secret. “The very idea of Games of the Future is very cool, because you can’t be good at just one thing here. Captains need to think about how to balance the team in order to be strong at all stages.”
Ak Bars – Cosmos X17 – 7:8 (1:5)
In the last match of the day, two champions of the Phygital Games met. Kosmos X17 won the first tournament in phygital hockey in the fall of 2022, and the Kazan team won the trophy six months later. At the digital stage Nikita Khoba and Gleb Miroshnikov scored four goals for two, and the leaders of Ak Bars Evgeny Gavrilov and Evgeny Popov were left with nothing. As a result – 5:1 in favor of Kosmos X17.
On real ice, the home team did much better. The “Ak Bars” quickly began to recoup, and largely thanks to their captain, former forward of the Russian national team Maxim Pestushko, they almost caught up with the opponent. He scored three goals, but Ak Bars could not even the score.
“Actually, we wanted to play “physics” a little differently. We were inferior to the opponent in speed, we tried too hard to protect our advantage in the score, it greatly hindered us,” Anton Borko critically assessed the game of his team Cosmos X17 team. “We prepared for Games of the Future in a balanced way: the esports players trained on the ice, and the hockey players – on the console. This, together with a good attitude, helped us to win a difficult victory.”
“The organization of the tournament is great, everything is well done. I don’t remember how many times I said it, but I’m ready to repeat it endlessly. Of course, we are a little worried. Some players are trying phygital for the first time. But the guys help each other, they prompt each other,” Maxim Pestushko said. “Actually, we only picked up the joysticks a couple of months ago, I still haven’t got used to it and call it a remote control! Therefore, our task is simple: to defend in the digital part and throw pucks on the ice.”
Second stage
February 20
19:00 Moscow time
Inter – Ak Bars
20:30 Moscow time
Feniks – Cosmos X17
The full schedule is available by the link.
Tickets for both the group stage and the playoffs can be purchased on the Games of the Future website. Don’t miss the opportunity to see Kazan’s favorite sport in a new format!
Information:
Games of the Future is an international multisport tournament in the phygital concept, a sports show of a new format that will combine competitions in physical and digital dimensions. VK Play is the technology partner of Games of the Future. The first “Games of the Future” tournament will be attended by more than 2,000 athletes from 107 different countries in 21 innovative disciplines. The competitions will be divided into 5 categories, or “challenges”: sports, tactical, battle, technical and speedrun. More information about the tournament can be found on the official channels of Games of the Future: