HC Dragunas pull away after halftime to defeat HC Cocks 30–26
September 27, 2026
KLAIPĖDA, 27 September 2026 — HC Dragunas Klaipeda claimed a 30–26 victory over Finland’s HC Cocks in the Baltic Handball League on Sunday, breaking open a tightly contested game with a strong spell early in the second half.
The teams were separated by just one goal at halftime, with Dragunas leading 12–11. Deividas Virbauskas and Paulius Čėsna led the scoring for the Lithuanian side with seven goals each, while Yury Lukyanchuk finished as HC Cocks’ leading scorer with six.
HC Cocks made the stronger start and moved 4–2 ahead after Daniel Tulander’s goal in the 15th minute. Dragunas responded immediately after a timeout, with Virbauskas, Matas Kairys and Mykolas Lapiniauskas helping the hosts turn the momentum around and take a 6–5 lead.
The home side then began to create some separation. Daniil Plakhotin and Čėsna contributed as Dragunas moved from 6–6 to 10–7, but HC Cocks stayed within reach. Lukyanchuk scored twice late in the half before Roope Ahlgren struck with only seconds remaining, reducing the deficit to 12–11 at the break.
HC Cocks drew level at 12–12 with the opening goal of the second half and again at 13–13 after Teemu Tamminen found the net in the 34th minute.
That proved to be the turning point.
Dragunas produced the decisive run of the afternoon, scoring six unanswered goals to move from 13–13 to 19–13. Čėsna started the surge before Lukas Juskenas scored twice, followed by another Čėsna goal, a strike from Plakhotin and Virbauskas’ finish in the 41st minute.
HC Cocks responded with three consecutive goals through Emanuel-Iulian Birtas, Lukyanchuk and Tamminen to cut the gap to 19–16, but Dragunas quickly regained control.
Virbauskas restored the four-goal advantage before Juskenas and Čėsna extended the lead to 22–16. Goals from Karolis Stropus and Plakhotin then pushed the score to 25–17, putting the hosts firmly in command.
Dragunas continued to control proceedings and reached 28–20 through Čėsna with just under nine minutes remaining. Arturas Budraitis later made it 29–21.
HC Cocks refused to let the game drift away and finished strongly. Goals from Georgios Kolovos, Ahlgren and Gellert Fekete reduced the deficit to 29–24, but Vakhtangi Kharebashvili’s goal with just over two minutes remaining effectively secured the victory for Dragunas.
Tamminen and Birtas scored the final two goals of the match for HC Cocks, producing the final score of 30–26.
Virbauskas finished with seven goals from 14 attempts, including two successful seven-metre throws, while Čėsna was particularly efficient with seven goals from eight shots. Juskenas added four goals, Plakhotin three, and Budraitis, Stropus and Lapiniauskas scored two each.
For HC Cocks, Lukyanchuk led the attack with six goals from seven shots. Tamminen scored four, while Tulander, Birtas and Ahlgren contributed three goals each.
Discipline also played a role in the contest, with HC Cocks receiving several two-minute suspensions. Georgios Kolovos and Tamminen were each suspended twice, while Joona Tamminen also received a two-minute penalty late in the game.
The result gives Dragunas another victory over HC Cocks after the Lithuanian side also won their previous Baltic Handball League meeting, 42–29, on 21 February 2026. This time, however, HC Cocks provided a much closer challenge, remaining level deep into the opening stages of the second half before Dragunas’ decisive scoring run.
Baltic Handball League
HC Dragunas Klaipeda 30–26 HC Cocks
Halftime: 12–11
Top scorers:
HC Dragunas Klaipeda — Deividas Virbauskas 7, Paulius Čėsna 7, Lukas Juskenas 4, Daniil Plakhotin 3.
HC Cocks — Yury Lukyanchuk 6, Teemu Tamminen 4, Daniel Tulander 3, Emanuel-Iulian Birtas 3, Roope Ahlgren 3.
