– Would do it again 10 out of 10 times

The music thunders from the loudspeaker system in DNB Arena in Stavanger. Not so unusual when an ice hockey team scores.

But the song being played is Ukrainian, and the players cheering on the ice are also Ukrainian.

It is player with uniform number 10, Timofej Hura, who has just put the puck in the opponent’s goal and can receive the tribute of his teammates.

It is 1-0 to Stavanger Sdyshor in the DNB Arena. And it doesn’t stop there tonight.

The fact that the 14- and 15-year-olds from Kharkiv in Ukraine should end up here, in the great room of the Norwegian league champions, Stavanger Oilers, is thanks to a unique commitment.

But each of the boys carries a heavy story.

Stranded in Poland

The first time TV 2 met the Sdyshor 2007 ice hockey team from Kharkiv in Ukraine was at the beginning of March. Then they were stranded in Poland after the Russians invaded when they were on their way to play a hockey tournament.

Parents and siblings sought refuge in basements and bomb shelters, and it was impossible for the boys to return home.

2,000 kilometers away, Stavanger Oilers manager Tore Christiansen heard about the team from Kharkiv.

A costume auction was started to raise money for the boys. Among other things, Erling Braut paid Haaland NOK 100,000 for an Oilers jersey to benefit the team.

The fate of the Kharkiv boys touched something in the Oilers boss.

– Imagine yourself, you go out to play a hockey game, to have fun. Then your city is invaded and bombed to pieces. And you have nothing, absolutely nothing, says Christiansen.

– It triggered something in me, the despair they felt.

In total, they collected almost one million kroner, but the commitment did not stop there.

Because at the beginning of April, a bus with 19 boys, mothers and siblings rolled into Stavanger. Altogether they numbered 51 people.

It has now been over eight months.

– We knew very little about how long this would take, and neither did they, says Christiansen.

– When I spoke to them at the time, they were very clear that they were going to be here for a little while, before going back to Ukraine. If you ask them now, 80 percent say they want to stay in Norway.

Want to stay

One of those who has started to envision a life in Norway is 15-year-old Danylo Andrietskyj.

When he came to Norway in April, it was without family.

In October, he was finally reunited with mum Tetiana and little sister Eva (6).

– Being here without family is the 15-year-old’s blunt answer when he is asked what has been most difficult during his time in Norway.

But Danylo thinks a lot about dad, who is still in Ukraine and is not allowed to leave the country.

– I would be very happy if dad could come here, says Danylo.

Mum Tetiana Andrietska notices a change in her boy. A new seriousness has set in with the 15-year-old.

– The war has changed him, but it’s not just him. All children have been changed, they grow up much faster, she says.

For the 37-year-old, it is good to have both children under the same roof again.

– For six months I lived without my son, and even though he is only 15 years old, he has already become a little adult, says Tetiana.

– But for me he will always be my child. And it gives me such peace when I have them here with me, she says.

In the process of establishing a new life

After about six months in reception, the family was settled at the end of October, and they now live in a basement flat in Sola municipality.

The children go to a Norwegian school, and Tetiana has started a Norwegian course.

The 37-year-old also has a bonus son in the home. One of Danylo’s teammates, Timofej Hura, also lives with them.

His family is still in Ukraine.

– I’m worried about whether everything is fine with them. But when I get help, I feel safe. I know I have friends and a team, says Timofej.

– After training in the evening, I call mum and dad and ask how things are going and if they are all right, he says.

The team means a lot to the 14-year-old.

– They are like a second family to me. They help, says Timofej.

He gets a hug from Danylo’s little sister. The six-year-old is very happy to be with his big brother again, and to have gained a bonus brother.

– There is no problem at all. He is calm and well behaved. And Eva is very fond of him, says Tetiana.

– I see that he misses his parents, but until further notice I try to be a mother to him.

– 10 out of 10 times

Oilers manager Tore Christiansen admits that he has learned a lot during the last eight months.

– I would say that I know quite a lot, but far from enough – and I’m still learning, he says.

But Christiansen believes there are opportunities for improvement in the way Norway accepts refugees.

– In retrospect, I feel they have stayed too long in reception. There have been too many rules to get used to, and too little support from the various agencies.

– It concerns everything from those who will give them a home, teach them Norwegian and make sure they have a few kroner. There we still have a way to go as a nation to learn, especially if we get a new wave.

But he is happy that he got involved in the team.

– I would do it all over again 10 out of 10 times! They are a fantastic group, he says.

Hockey is life

In the DNB Arena, the referee blows the match off. It ends 9-1 to Stavanger Sdyshor this evening, and the boys can cheer for victory.

The team from Kharkiv have won most of the games they have played this season, and some of the boys also play in the Oilers’ U18 team.

– Some of them have the abilities and skills to play in our A team, but that was obviously not the idea behind the commitment at all, Christiansen chuckles.

– Some will eventually stop playing hockey. And some of them are going to be too good for the Oilers – believe it or not!

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For Danylo, playing hockey is a good distraction from what is difficult.

– When you play hockey, you forget all other problems. The focus is only on the game, says Danylo.

Mamma Tetiana has no doubts about what ice hockey means to the two boys in the house.

– It’s not just a hobby, it’s their life.