The Istanbul dynasty

19 Mar 2017Davide Tuniz»

Zeytinburnu won the third consecutive title in Turkey, after a season dominated from beginning to end

Third consecutive title for Zeytinburnu Istanbul, this time not leaving even the crumbs to the opponents: perfect record during the regular season with an impressive 175-13 goals difference, the massacre of newly promoted Buz Adamlar in the semifinals (25-0 and 20-0) to complete the run with a final series with no thrills: 10-2 and 17-1 to wipe out the opponent Erzurum BB. After the title of last season, won in a tough series decided after game 5 against Izmir BBGSK, Zeytinburnu took advantage of the crisis of the fiercest opponent - Izmir didn't allign a team in 2016-17 Super Lig - catching the best player from rival: forward Serkan Gumus, attracting also Russian goalie Nikita Sandyrev, American defender Brian Dunford and Russian forward Konstantin Kuchkin from Erzurum. The new pieces were grafted in a very competitive roster, making Zeytinburnu unbeatable in the home scenario. The prolific scoring-duo Oleg Zadoyenko - Aleksei Voytsekhovsky has amassed an impressive 91 points in 10 games of regular season, with Voytsekhovsky finished as top scorer after two consecutive award by Zadoyenko. The stellar season for Zeytinburnu included also a brilliant campaign in the Continental Cup, with the team advanced to the second round, first Turkish club in the history of compettion.

Champion team dominated also the seasonal awards:

Best Goalie: Nikita Sandyrev (Zeytinburnu)

Best Defender: Emrah Savas (Erzurum BB)

Best Forward: Aleksei Voytsekhovsky (Zeytinburnu)