Hungary, Jamaica net thrilling victories in hockey

Hungary floor hockey coach Lajos Ecseri only speaks a little English.

But he described the final hour of action at Expo Idaho on Friday perfectly with help from hand gestures.

"My heart was like this," he said, showing that it was beating out of his chest. "And my blood was like this," he said, indicating it was gushing to the top of his head.

Hungary scored in overtime to beat Russia 2-1 in the gold-medal game of the top division. On the next court, Jamaica rallied from a five-goal deficit to beat Canada 8-7 in the second division.

"They wanted this much, and they did it," Ecseri said of his team.

The Hungarians formed a dogpile on the court immediately after the "sudden win" goal was scored. They hoisted the hero onto their shoulders and tossed him into the air.

Then they started the chant that became the soundtrack of Friday's floor hockey finals.

"We are we are Hungary!"

On the next court, Jamaica overcame a 6-1 deficit to beat Canada for the gold. Canada had beaten Jamaica 7-0 earlier in the tournament.

"We went back to the drawing board," Jamaica player Jermaine White said. "We started defending more."

It was the first gold medal in floor hockey for Jamaica, which started playing in 1989. A different Canadian team beat Jamaica in a gold-medal game in 1993.

"We came for the gold medal because with all the wave that is going on with (Olympic sprinter) Usain Bolt and all our athletes, we are riding on that," said Glendon West, the head of the delegation for Jamaica.

West was impressed with his team's determination. Staring down a deep deficit against the favored team, they used their speed to crank out a string of goals.

"They really fought to the end," West said. "They never gave up. We were down 6-1. They rallied. They came back and put up a really, really, really incredible fight."

Canada, meanwhile, was devastated. Floor hockey is the sister of Canada's premier sport - and that pride runs deep.

"Hockey is life for us," coach Shawn Turner said. " We wear our hearts on our shoulders."

And it already had been a difficult week for the Canadians.

Paul Turner - Shawn's dad and the team's founder and coach - suffered a mild heart attack during the Jamaica game Wednesday. The game was stopped, and he was taken to the hospital. But he was back on the bench Friday.

"It's been up and down emotionally, especially for my dad and I," Turner said. "It's pretty emotional for us right now. With the loss, it's a little tough to take."

All those emotions and two close games made for an electric atmosphere inside Expo Idaho. They also made for an unforgettable experience for the teams involved.

"It was remarkable," West said. "I don't think I'll see anything like this again in my lifetime."

Chadd Cripe: 377-6398