As the Regional League approaches its final regular-season round, Jadran Herceg Novi remains in pole position to host the Final Four, narrowly leading Novi Beograd by just one point. Radnicki has leapfrogged Jadran Split, moving into third place ahead of the season’s climax.
Despite a shaky start, Jadran Herceg Novi comfortably overcame Primorje 17:8. Novi Beograd narrowly escaped defeat against Sabac, securing a 16:13 victory only after a penalty shootout. Jadran Split stumbled against Mladost in Zagreb, losing 9:8, while Radnicki defeated Crvena Zvezda convincingly, 9:6.
Primorje surprised Jadran Herceg Novi early on, racing to a 3:0 lead. However, the Montenegrin side gradually regained control, equalizing at 5:5 through Dmitri Kholod’s man-up goal. Vasilije Radovic then gave Jadran their first lead. Primorje briefly recaptured momentum after halftime, leading 8:7, but quickly lost steam. Jadran scored ten unanswered goals in the final 15 minutes, securing an emphatic 17:8 victory. Kholod led the scoring with three goals, matched by Tin Brubnjak’s hat-trick for Primorje.
In an intense matchup, Novi Beograd overcame a resilient Sabac side. Novi Beograd initially led 2:0, but Sabac fought back fiercely, leading 6:5 at halftime. Both sides exchanged the lead multiple times before settling at 12:12 at full-time. Novi Beograd dominated the penalty shootout 4:1, with Angelos Vlachopoulos netting four goals, while Filip Novakovic scored three times for Sabac.
The Croatian derby between Mladost and Jadran Split featured outstanding goalkeeping from Marcelic (11 saves) and Bijac (13 saves). The match remained tight throughout, with Mladost finally pulling away thanks to Andrija Basic’s two crucial goals in the final minutes, securing a 9:8 victory. Basic, Luka Bukic (both Mladost), and Marin Butic (Jadran Split) each scored two goals.
Radnicki overcame the absence of Olympic champion Nikola Jaksic against a spirited Crvena Zvezda side. After a tight early exchange, Radnicki established control with a crucial 3:0 scoring run. Despite Crvena Zvezda narrowing the gap to one goal (6:7), Radnicki sealed the match with late power-play goals by Gavrilovic and Rasovic, finishing 9:6. Strahinja Rasovic stood out with three goals.
Jug edged Solaris 14:13 in a thrilling encounter, and Primorac comfortably defeated Valis 14:9.
Results – Regional League, Round 21:
- Primorje – Jadran HN 8:17 (4:2, 3:5, 1:3, 0:7)
- Radnicki – Crvena Zvezda 9:6 (1:1, 3:1, 3:3, 2:1)
- Sabac – Novi Beograd 13:16 (0:2, 6:3, 1:3, 5:4, PSO 1:4)
- Mladost – Jadran Split 9:8 (3:2, 2:3, 1:1, 3:2)
- Solaris – Jug 13:14 (4:2, 3:3, 3:4, 3:5)
- Valis – Primorac 9:14 (1:2, 1:5, 4:3, 3:4)
Standings after Round 21:
- Jadran m:tel HN – 54 pts (21 matches)
- Novi Beograd – 53 pts (21 matches)
- Radnicki – 49 pts (21 matches)
- Jadran Split – 49 pts (21 matches)
- Mladost – 41 pts (21 matches)
- Sabac Elixir – 29 pts (21 matches)
- Primorac – 25 pts (20 matches)
- Jug AO – 25 pts (20 matches)
- Crvena Zvezda – 18 pts (21 matches)
- Primorje EB – 17 pts (21 matches)
- Solaris – 14 pts (21 matches)
- Valis Vega – 1 pt (21 matches)
*Head-to-head: Radnicki – Jadran Split 14:12 and 20:21 (PSO)