Some of Europe's top hockey clubs came together in Hamburg, Germany last weekend, as teams battled it out in fierce and intense hockey action in the race to make it to the knock-out (KO) 16 stages of the Euro Hockey League.

Four groups, each comprising three teams, were chasing top of the pool finishes in order to progress to the showcase finals next year.

Belgium side Royal Leopold, Club Egara from Spain, Amsterdam from the Netherlands and the German giants, 2013/14 Euro Hockey League champions Harvestehuder THC, all claimed their tickets to the Euro Hockey League KO16 taking place next Easter, again in Hamburg, the home of Harvestehuder THC.

Now in its eighth year, the appeal of the Euro Hockey League, as a high quality continental league, means it attracts some of the best players in the world.

Argentina’s Agustin Mazzilli was among the sharp-shooters who helped Royal Leopold confirm their place with a 3-0 win over Dinamo Elektrostal.

Speaking about this competition, South Africa’s Justin Reid-Ross, who is playing for Amsterdam, said: “Playing in the EHL has been a dream for me for a long time,” before going on to score a hat-trick in his team's opening match of the tournament.

The closest encounter on the last day of play took place in Pool D, as Club Egara got the 3-3 draw they required to advance, despite an incredible comeback from Irish representatives Monkstown. It was scoreless until 16 minutes from the end before a crazy blitz of goals saw the game swing quickly one way and then the next.

Edi Tubau’s two goals, adding to Lluis Mercade’s strike, had the Spanish side 3-0 ahead but Kyle Good, Gareth Watkins and Peter Caruth gave Egara a real scare. However, it was not enough to nick the win the Irish team needed to advance.

A packed house saw Michael Korper score four goals as home side Harvestehuder THC blitzed the Austrian team HC Wien 6-1. Tobias Hauke and Leon Willemsen joined Korper on the score-sheet but the loudest cheer of the day came for Simon Landsteiner’s goal for Wien, a special moment for the Austrian club in one of the biggest games in their history.

The record for the highest ever score in the competition was smashed in the middle day of competition, when Amsterdam defeated Polish side KS Pomorzanin Torun 19-2. This overshadowed Bloemendaal’s 14-2 win over the same opposition last year.

The weekend’s action means 16 teams are confirmed for the EHL KO16, which takes place next Easter.

The quartet join last year’s champions, Netherlands’ Oranje Zwart, and Germany's UHC Hamburg – the team who has won the trophy the most times (three). They will also face Dutch side SV Kampong, Germany’s Rot-Weiss Koln, Spain’s RC de Polo and Atletic Terrassa, England’s Wimbledon, Poland’s WKS Grunwald Poznan, France’s Racing Club and Russia’s Dinamo Kazan.

For more information about the Euro Hockey League, visit: http://www.ehlhockey.tv

Photo: Euro Hockey League/Frank Uijlenbroek