HC Varese

Hockey Club Varese (HC Varese) is a professional hockey team based in Varese, Lombardy, Italy that plays in the Serie A2 in Italy. The team is the resurrection of the defunct AS Mastini Varese Hockey that folded in 2005.

Achievements

 * Scudetti won: (2) (1987, 1989)
 * Federation Cup won: (1) (1996)

History
The club's history begins in 1977 as the club was founded under the name AS Mastini Varese Hockey (complete name: Associazione Sportiva Mastini Varese Hockey; the Varese Mastiffs).

Ten years after being founded, in 1987, the Mastini won their first Scudetto, bringing the award back in Lombardy for the first time in 27 years since Diavoli Hockey Club Milano won it in 1960; Varese repeated the feat two years later.

In 1996, the team won the second and last edition of the Federation Cup, to date the only continental tournament won by an Italian club. From these years however, a long period of crisis arose in Varese, with the club voluntarily withdrawing itself from the top italian league due to serious financial problems. It would take until 2003-04 before Varese would again ice a solid team. The team enjoyed a succesful season, but it was too little too late - the team nevertheless went bankrupt and was dismantled.

In August of the same year, the team was re-founded with its actual name, inheriting of the youth team of the defunct team, of the team's colours and of the logo. For the first two seasons, HC Varese existed solely as a youth team; however, in 2007-08, the team joined the Serie C Under 26 league, thus becoming the farm team of HC Junior Milano Vipers.

In 2008-09, the Mastini returned to the professional level, joining Serie A2 and becoming the farm team of SG Pontebba. The team finished dead last of the league with 21 points.

Head coaches

 * 1981-1982 - Werner Holzner - Ray Mckay
 * 1982-1984 - Ron Ivany
 * 198?-1987 - William Pourcell
 * 1987-1988 - Grant Standbrook - Dave Chambers
 * 1988-1990 - Brian Lefley
 * 1990-1991 - Ron Ivany
 * 1991-1992 - Jim Webster
 * 1992-1993 - Kim Gellert
 * 1993-1994 - Pat Cortina
 * 1994- - Paul Theriault
 * 1995- - Luciano Basile
 * 1995-2000 - Nenad Ilic
 * 2000-2003 - Igor Kosovic, Frank Odino
 * 2004-2005 - Tony Martino
 * 2007-2009 - Matteo Malfatti
 * 2011-2013 - Zdenek Kudrna/Nenad Ilic
 * 2013-oggi - Nenad Ilic

Externsl links

 * info su eliteprospects.com
 * info su eurohockey.net
 * info AS Varese su eurohockey.com
 * info HC Varese su eurohockey.com
 * info HC Varese su hockeydb.com