Martin Růžička: European Player of the Month for October.

For Eurohockey.com

At the first international break, the Czech Extraliga's leading scorer is not Kladno's Jaromír Jágr or Tomáš Plekanec, despite the fine and high-profile tour they've made around the country, filing arenas everywhere they go, nor is it any of the many other locked NHLers who have flocked to the league. It is Oceláři Třineč's Martin Růžička, who has 36 points in 19 games and racked up an amazing total of 20 points in 10 games in the month of October. He did so in relative obscurity, tucked away in a small industrial town on the Polish border.

Photo: NČR PRESS/Lenka Rybaříková.

Far away, in the capital city of Prague, mention hockey and the name Růžička nearly everybody will think of Vladimír, former star player and now coach of Slavia. Even the name Martin Růžička might lead to some confusion, as the starting goaltender in Pardubice has the exact same name. Yet the career that Martin Růžička the forward has made for himself since arriving in Třinec as a 24-year-old in 2009 is impressive.

To that point, he had bounced between four different clubs in the Extraliga and I.liga, never recording more than 18 points in a season and failing to distinguish himself as top-line player. However, in the 2009-10 season, he recorded 47 points in 50 games, which was enough to earn him a spot on that year's gold-medal winning Czech team at the World Championship.

He followed that up with 50 more points the next year, but he that was just a precursor to the playoff he would have. There, he shattered the league playoff scoring record, recording 33 points in 18 games, leading Oceláři to their first, and so far only, national championship.

After a year with Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL, he's back in Třinec this season, and what a season it's been so far. He has failed to register a point in only two of the 19 games he has played. His most dominant performance came October 5, when he was in on all 5 of the game's goals in his team's 5-0 shutout victory over visiting Česke Budějovice, thanks to a hat trick and 2 assists. He finished his amazing month with a 4-point effort against local rival Vítkovice on October 28.

Apparently, a month like that will get you attention no matter where you play -- not only national but all across Europe. Eurohockey.com readers voted him Europe's best hockey player for the month of October. Not only was he competing against Jágr and Plekanec for that honour, but other names like Henrik Zetterberg, Alexander Radulov, Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Ovechkin.

Unfortunately, European hockey fans won't get the chance to see him in action this week at the Karjala Cup -- he's being kept out with back trouble. However, it seems to be only precautionary, and he's expected to be back in the lineup when Třinec returns to the ice next week.

Quarterfinals begin Thursday

On Tuesday night, PSG Zlín defeated Oceláři Třinec 4-1 in the fifth and decisive game of their preliminary round series. In addition to dethroning the reigning champions of the Czech Republic, it also rounded out the field of the final eight teams and locked in the quarterfinal match-ups. Read Jon Rowson's recap of the game at Eurockey.com.

In addition to being a fellow Eurohockey writer, Rowson also blogs about Czech and Slovak hockey at Velvet Hockey, and he recently made predictions about the upcoming quarterfinal round. Rowson has picked all four higher seeds to advance, which is hard to argue with, though it hasn't been the norm in recent years.

Trying to pick the winners of Czech playoff series is often a guessing game, as upsets are common. Every year, there seems to be a club that comes out of nowhere to go deep into the playoffs. Last year, seventh-seeded Slavia Praha upset second-seeded Liberec in the quarters and then led first-place Třinec three games to one in the semifinals before ultimately succumbing. Třinec became the first team since 2002 to finish first during the regular season and then win the playoff tournament as well.

This year, though Sparta and Plzeň would seem to be favourites in their series, nothing is guaranteed, and the other two series are almost up in the air.

The quarterfinal match-ups are as follows:

(1) Sparta Praha vs (8) Kometa Brno
(2) Plzeň 1929 vs (7) Zlín
(3) Pardubice vs (6) Vítkovice
(4) Bílí Tygři Liberec vs (5) České Budějovice

Pardubice-Vítkovice and Liberec-České Budějovice play their first two games on Thursday and Friday, followed by the other two series on Saturday and Sunday. The above mentioned Rowson, Petr Polák and myself will combine to provide daily coverage of the action at Eurohockey.com.

From hokej.cz, here is the schedule of the quarterfinal games that we know will take place. All times are Central European and all games will be webcast at tv.hokej.cz.

Thursday, March 8 - 1st games:

18:10 HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice - HC Vítkovice Steel (Nova Sport)

18:30 Bílí Tygři Liberec - HC Mountfield České Budějovice

Friday, March 9 - 2nd games:

18:10 Bílí Tygři Liberec - HC Mountfield České Budějovice (ČT4)

18:30 HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice - HC Vítkovice Steel 

Saturday, March 10 - 1st games:

17:30 HC Sparta Praha - HC Kometa Brno (Nova Sport)
17:30 HC Plzeň 1929 - PSG Zlín

Sunday, March 11 - 2nd games:

17:00 HC Sparta Praha - HC Kometa Brno
18:10 HC Plzeň 1929 - PSG Zlín (ČT4)

Monday, March 12 - 3rd games:

17:30 HC Vítkovice Steel - HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice
18:10 HC Mountfield České Budějovice - Bílí Tygři Liberec (Nova Sport)

Tuesday, March 13 - 4th games:

17:30 HC Mountfield České Budějovice - Bílí Tygři Liberec

17:40 HC Vítkovice Steel - HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice (ČT4)

Wednesday, March 14 - 3rd games:

17:40 PSG Zlín - HC Plzeň 1929 (ČT4)

18:00 HC Kometa Brno - HC Sparta Praha

Thursday, March 15 - 4th games:

17:30 PSG Zlín - HC Plzeň 1929

18:10 HC Kometa Brno - HC Sparta Praha  (ČT4)

Třinec takes the lead, Brno advances

Written for Eurohockey.com:

The third games of the best-of-five preliminary round series in the Czech Extraliga playoffs were played Saturday night. Oceláři Třinec beat PSG Zlín 6-2 to take the lead, while Kometa Brno finished off Rytíři Kladno with a 4-3 shootout victory.

Třinec 6 – 2 Zlín

(Třinec leads best-of-five series 2-1.)

Třinec was dominant on home ice Saturday.
Photo: Marian Ježowicz, hcocelari.cz.

Oceláři Třinec’s reign as Czech national champions is one game closer to extending into the quarterfinals. On Saturday night, they faced the possibility of being pushed to the brink of elimination, but instead looked as dominant on home ice as the team with a 9-1 home record in last year’s playoffs, winning 6-2.

Two goals from veteran Miloslav Hořava, one off his skate and the other short-handed, gave Třinec a 2-0 lead by the 25-minute mark. Marek Melenovský cut the lead to 2-1, but then was penalized just five seconds later. On the power play, Lukáš Zíb restored the two-goal lead with a blast from the point, is first of two goals in the game, and from there they cruised to victory.

In addition to the two-goal performances of Hořava and Zíb, Tomáš Kůrka scored a goal and added three helpers and Josef Hrabal, Jan Peterek and Václav Varaďa had two-point nights for Třinec. After assisting on Melenovský’s goal, Zlín captain Petr Čajanek scored a power-play marker of his own with 34 seconds left to make the final score look slightly better.

Coach Pavel Janků was pleased with his team’s performance. “We played high-tempo hockey. That’s the way I remember us playing,” he said to the media afterward.

The two teams go back at it in Silesia on Sunday at 18:10 CET. It will be televised and webcast in the Czech Republic on ČT4 and available online elsewhere at tvtipsport.cz/elh. If needed, a fifth and decisive game will be played in Zlín on Tuesday.

Kladno 3 – 4 Brno (shootout)

(Brno wins best-of-five series 3-0.)

Vojtěch Němec scoring the shootout winner in Kladno.
Photo: Roman Kantor, hc-kometa.cz.

In Kladno, Rytíři were in the driver's seat for most of the night and were three minutes away from extending their season, but just couldn’t hold on.

After a scoreless first period, Pavel Patera and Jiří Drtina gave Kladno a 2-0 lead in the first half of the second. Brno’s Jakub Svoboda and Kladno’s Jiří Bicek then traded goals exactly one minute apart, and the 3-1 margin was maintained well into the third period.

Down by two goals, Kometa began putting on pressure in the third period and, when Milan Toman was called for hooking with 10:32 on the clock, they began attacking relentlessly. Cikánek was forced to make several saves, but with 22 seconds left in the advantage, Tomáš Žizka found a seam to make it a one-goal game.

Urged on by the large contingent of Kometa fans in the building, the visitors continued to pursue the equalizer and finally Jozef Kováčik got it on a second rebound attempt that Cikánek had no chance on.

After a scoreless ten-minute overtime period, the game and series was decided in a shootout. Of the six shooters, Vojtěch Němec was the only one to score, beating Cikánek on Brno’s second attempt. Finnish goaltender Sasu Hovi replaced Jiří Trvaj in the Brno net for the shootout and stopped all three shots he faced.

“We are pleased to have finished the series, and for that we are heavy and awkward opponent to win 3-0 in games,” said Brno coach Lubomír Oslizlo. “What makes us appreciate the comeback more is things weren’t looking good for us when Kladno was up 3-1 but we were able to put on pressure and get back to even.”

Kometa Brno has advanced to the national quarterfinals for the first time since 1987. They will begin their next series next Saturday against either Sparta Praha or Plzeň 1929.

Brno and Zlín open preliminaries with wins

Written for Eurohockey.com.

On the opening day of the Czech Extraliga playoffs, Kometa Brno and PSG Zlín both won on home ice to take early leads in their best-of-five preliminary series.

In the Czech Extraliga, the top six teams advance directly to the quarterfinals, while teams seven through ten must play off to determine the other two quarterfinalists. On Wednesday night, those two series began, with seventh-place Zlín hosting tenth-place Oceláři Třinec and eighth-place Kometa Brno hosting ninth-place Rytíři Kladno.

Zlín 3 - 0 Třinec

Last season, Oceláři finished first overall during the regular season and then went on to win the playoff championship as well. If they hope to repeat as league champions, they have a much more difficult road ahead of them as the number 10 seed, and it didn't begin well for them.

Actually, it was anybody's game for two periods, with the game still scoreless, with goaltenders Luboš Horčička and Peter Hamrlík both stopping everything. It wasn't until midway through the third period when Petr Leška opened the scoring, just after Zlín had managed to kill off a penalty. It was the first of three points for Leška, who then assisted on Petr Holík's power-play goal to make it 2-0 and on Petr Čajanek's empty netter to send the home crowd happy.

Brno 5 - 2 Kladno

The 3-0 goal by Roman Erat (left) proved to be the winner.
Photo: Michal Eger, hc-kometa.cz.

These same two teams met in a promotion-relegation series in 2009, with Kladno winning to retain its place in the Extraliga. Three years later, they face each other in the elite league's preliminary round. Kladno last appeared in the quarterfinals in 2008, while the Brno club is making its first-ever appearance in the Czech Extraliga playoffs. 

On home ice, Kometa jumped out to a 3-0 first-period lead, and it looked like they might run away with this game. However, the Knights of Kladno chipped away and got themselves back into it with a pair of goals from Jaroslav Kalla. He got his team on the board late in the second period and then, in the first minute of the third, his wrist shot to the top corner made it a one-goal hockey game. However, two goals a minute apart restored Brno's three-goal cushion: first Jozef Kovačík on a nice effort and then Miroslav Holec on a delayed penalty. Tomáš Divíšek, with three assists, was Kometa's offensive catalyst of the game. 

For both series, the second games will be played on Thursday night in the same cities before they switch venues for the third games on Saturday. As in the regular season, all playoff games can be seen live streaming online at tvtipsport.cz/elh.

Goon Verot tries out in Třinec, draws Jágr's wrath

A pair of Canadians made their first appearances at the morning practice of defending national champion Oceláři Třinec, and a few eyebrows were raised over one of them.

Defenceman Rob Davison of St. Catherine's, Ontario and left winger Darcy Verot of Radville, Saskatchewan were both on the ice. Though the league isn't overwhelmed with Canadians, their appearances are no longer novel. Bryan McGregor of Niagra Falls, Ontario is returning to the team for a third season, and Davison's presence attracted little attention. Verot, however, was a different story.

Darcy Verot (left) and Jaromír Jágr have a history. Photo: khl.ru.

Verot, 35, has made his life in hockey with his fists, starting with the Weyburn Red Wings in the Saskatchewan Junior League. He's played professionally in the now-defunct Western Professional League, the ECHL and parts of eight campaigns in the AHL. He also had a 37-game stint with the NHL's Washington Capitals in the 2003-04 season, where he recorded 0 goals, 2 assists and 135 penalty minutes.

In 2007, Verot went to Russia and joined Vityaz Chekhov. With the club over the past four seasons, the left winger has scored a mere 6 goals but has amassed an amazing total of 1,235 penalty minutes in 125 games. An average of 10 minutes per game, this would be the equivalent of getting 820 minutes in an NHL season; the record is Dave Schultz with 472 in 1974-75. Perhaps his most notorious incident in the KHL occurred on January 9, 2000 when his club hosted Avangard Omsk. The game degenerated into a bench-clearing brawl, which was allegedly triggered when Verot intentionally shot the puck at Omsk's Lasse Kukkonen.

"I doubt that Třinec really knows what kind of person he is," said former Omsk player and, briefly, Washington teammate Jaromír Jágr. "I know what this guy is capable of. Forgive me, but he's an asshole."

During the infamous brawl game, Jágr and Verot had a couple of bouts with each other, the second one coming when both players left the penalty box as both benches cleared.

The next time the teams met, Verot squared off with Omsk's Joshua Gratton after only six seconds of play, which started another brawl. Both players were questioned by police afterward.

Of course, even players who drop the gloves from time to time have been accepted in the Czech Extraliga over the past few seasons. Nobody made much of a fuss in 2009 when Doug O'Brien arrived in Plzeň and Adam Pineault in Pardubice. Both players even became popular in their respective adoptive cities for their toughness, which included squaring off against each other.

But compared to Verot, they are both choir boys. Over two seasons in Pardubice, right winger Pineault has recorded 34 points and 127 penalty minutes in 79 games. He is returning to the club for a third season. O'Brien, a defenceman, played one year in Plzeň and another for Sparta Praha, recording 15 points and 169 minutes in 94 games. Tough players, to be sure, but more than just fighters and useful to their teams while the puck is moving.

A player with Verot's reputation has never played in the Extraliga before and Jágr expressed concern over what it could mean to the league. "I'm worried that the Extraliga won't react until the moment something happens," he said. "We had a chance to deal with it before something happens." Owner of the newly-renamed Rytíři Kladno, Jágr emphasised that he has no intention of signing a goon to play for his team.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Verot or Davison will play in the league this season. Třinec spokesman Ivo Pullman stated, "The Extraliga starts on Sunday, and it will be decided before then whether or not they remain."

KHL's Lev Poprad will have large Czech presence

The first KHL team outside the territory of the former Soviet Union was almost placed in the Czech Republic. In 2009, there was an attempt to place a franchise in Karlovy Vary that fell through due to the World Economic Crisis. A year later, HC Lev Hradec Králové was born, but was unable to get the necessary sanctioning from the Czech Ice Hockey Association, leading to their move eastward to the town of Poprad, in the Slovak Tatra Mountains.

Though they are no longer a Czech team, the club will have a familiar look to Czech hockey fans. Ten of the 24 players they currently have under contract are Czechs, along with nine Slovaks, three Swedes, a Canadian and an American. Additionally, three of the Slovaks played in the Czech Extraliga last season.

Of the ten Czechs, three are coming to Poprad from other KHL teams, while four are moving over from the Czech Extraliga. Two players, goaltender Tomáš Duba and forward Stanislav Balán, are joining the team from PSG Zlín, while Jiří Hunkes comes from Bílí Tygři Liberec and Bohumil Jank from Mountfield České Budějovice. Jank played last season with Drummondville of the QMJHL before returning home to Budějovice following his team's playoff exit. Another player coming from the CHL is Štěpan Novotný of the WHL's Swift Current Broncos.

But those aren't the only players that will be familiar to Czech fans. Some of the Slovaks on the roster have made names for themselves in the Czech Republic as well. Branislav Mazei and Rostislav Špirko both played in Pardubice last season and Rudolf Huna played for Vítkovice.

Defenceman Jakub Jeřábek of Plzeň was taken by Lev in this summer's KHL draft, but it appears he will remain in the Extraliga for at least another season.

Radim Rulík (far left) runs practice at Lev Poprad's inagural training camp. Photo: Jan Molnar, hclev.eu.

Head coach Radim Rulík is also Czech, hailing from Ostrov nad Ohří. Rulík has a long history coaching in the Czech Republic, particularly in Plžen and Karlovy Vary. He spent most of last season as an assistant coach with Sparta Praha. Back in June, Rulík foreshadowed the make-up of the team when he told World News--Russian Opinion, "My wish is that the team has only Czech and Slovak players. Then we will have a family atmosphere." Of course, there are a handful of other players on the team, but for the most part, Lev's roster is Czech and Slovak dominated. 

In addition to coaching in the Czech Republic, though, Rulík has also coached in the KHL, and knows the work he has ahead of him. The primary difference between the KHL and Czech Extraliga is the maturity of the players and the travel, he says. "The level of the KHL increases with each passing year. I would like to rely on core of veteran players aged 25 to 28. We want this main core to be more than than 12 players because we have a long flights. Believe me, I could see this when I worked for Avangard." 

That desire for a veteran presence may explain the club's foray into foreign talent. The five non-Czech or -Slovak players are all between the ages of 24 and 29.

In preparation for their initial KHL season, Lev will face a couple of the Czech Extraliga's best teams. Last year's finalists, champion Oceláři Třinec and runner-up Vítkovice Steel, will each host Slovakia's KHL entry on home ice, and once more in Slovakia. On August 9, Rudolf Hana will get a chance to face his former mates when Lev pays a visit to Ostrava's ČEZ Arena. The following day, they make the short journey to Třinec to take on Oceláři. Later, Vítkovice will play Lev again on August 20 when they face each other in the Tatranský Pohár (Tatran Cup) in Poprad. On August 28, Třinec and Lev renew acquaintances at the Cassovia Hockey Cup in Košice.

After their nine-game pre-season schedule has finished, Lev will open up the KHL regular season at home on September 10 against Roman Červenka and Avangard Omsk.

From the club's website, hclev.eu, here is Lev Poprad's inagural pre-season schedule:

	Date	Opponent	Location	CET
1	Thu, Aug 4	HK Spišská Nová Ves (Slovak 1.L)	ZŠ Spišská Nová Ves	18:00
2	Tue, Aug 9	HC Vítkovice Steel (Czech EL)	ČEZ Aréna, Ostrava	18:00
3	Wed, Aug 10	HC Oceláři Třinec (Czech EL)	Werk Aréna, Třinec	17:00
4	Thu, Aug 18	Graz 99ers (EBEL)	Aréna Poprad	16:00
5	Sat, Aug 20	HC Vítkovice Steel (Czech EL)	Aréna Poprad	19:00
6	Sun, Aug 21	TBD	Aréna Poprad	TBD
7	Fri, Aug 26	HC Košice (Slovak EL)	Steel Aréna, Košice	18:30
8	Sat, Aug 27	HC CSKA Moscow (KHL)	Steel Aréna, Košice	15:00
9	Sun, Aug 28	HC Oceláři Třinec (Czech EL)	Steel Aréna, Košice	15:00

Třinec wins first ever championship

Established in 1929, the Třinec hockey club had to wait over eight decades before winning its first national championship. And New York Rangers fans thought they had a long wait.

Třinec captain Radek Bonk hoists the championship trophy.
All photos: Marian Ježowicz, hcocelari.cz.

Located in Silesia, in an economically-depressed "rustbelt" region in the northeast corner of the Czech Republic, Třinec with its population of 38,000 is a small market even by Czech Extraliga standards. The club is nicknamed Oceláři (Steelworkers in English) as an homage to the region's industrial past, much the same way that Pittsburgh's NFL team is. This team means everything to its blue-collar fanbase, and they've waited a long time for their team to have a season like this.

It wouldn't be fair to say that Třinec has never had a good team before, but the team toiled in lower leagues for most of its history before ascending to the Extraliga in 1995. From there, they quickly climbed to become one of the best teams in the country. They reached the final in 1998, only to be swept by the Vsetín dynasty. Jan Peterek was part of that 1998 team and, after playing in Russia for a few years, he was on the team this season as well.

What a season it was.

They finished with the best record in the league, outscoring all other teams in the process. For most of the year, they battled their nearest rivals, Vítkovice Steel, for first. In the end, they edged out Liberec for top spot. Martin Růžička, Radek Bonk, Václav Varaďa, Ladislav Kohn and David Květon led the scoring. A solid defence was anchored by veterans Lukáš Krajiček and Lukáš Zíb. In goal, Peter Hamerlík led the league with 6 shutouts.

In the playoffs, they faced some challenges from Litvínov and Slavia Praha. Particularly Slavia, who led the semifinal series 3-1 and had many Třinec fans thinking that their dream season was just that: too good to be true. But they rebounded to win three in a row and then three more to start the finals against hated Vítkovice. They weren't able to close out the series on the road on Saturday, surrendering a late tying goal and losing in a shootout. That just gave them a chance to come home and win it all in front of their fans. They were 9-1 on home ice during the 2011 playoffs, capping it off with a dominating 5-1 victory.

The game itself was close for one period, Třinec escaping with a 2-1 lead. But in the second they put their stamp on the game. Josef Hrabal through a screen and then Erik Hrňa, with his first of the playoffs, on a beautiful one-time shot on a two-on-one made it 4-1, and left the fans to celebrate the final period away.

"The worst moment in the playoffs was the fourth game of the Slavia series," Bonk said afterward. "Few people believed in us then, but there was a huge commitment in our dressing room and we believed that we could turn it around. I'm really happy to be the first Třinec captain to lift the Cup over his head as champions."

And what about the playoff performance of Martin Růžička?

Růžička opened the scoring in the second minute of game 5. It was his 17th goal and 33rd point in his 18th game. Of all of those points, none were bigger than the 7 he recorded in the fifth and sixth games against Slavia in the semifinals to bring his team from a 1-3 deficit to even and into a seventh game at home, where they weren't going to be beaten. Not by this hungry team in front of these hungry fans.

To call this the greatest thing that's ever happened in Třinec may be an overstatement, but at this time you might have a hard time convincing the 5,200 in attendance at Werk Arena, the thousands more watching in the pubs throughout the region, or even the many more Oceláři fans who have moved elsewhere in the country in search of employment that it's not the truth.

The players appreciated the support, too. Varaďa summed it up: "The fans helped us so much and deserve a large share of the reward. What more can you ask?" 

Vítkovice stays alive with shootout win

Down three games to none in the Extraliga final, Vítkovice had the nearly impossible task of needing four straight victories to win the title. Their uphill climb got ever-so-slightly more probable with a 5-4 shootout victory on Saturday.

Ondřej Šedivý opens the shootout with a goal, as nervous Vítkovice
fans watch in anticipation. Photo: Petr Kotala, hc-vitkovice.cz.

In what can best be described as a see-saw battle, which saw three lead changes, Třinec led 1-0 and 2-1 before Vítkovice tied it late in the first period. They then scored the only goal of the second, when Peter Húževka converted on a power play after Třinec had been called for having too many players on the ice.

Vítkovice managed to protect their slim margin for half of the third period, but Třinec clearly wanted this to be the final game. First Martin Lojek tied the game with a blast from the point on the power play to tie the score. Then, only a minute and a half later, Lukáš Krajiček made a great play behind the Vítkovice goal, making a one-handed pass out in front while he was being pinned against the boards. In an example of a terrible defensive breakdown, Ladislav Kohn was able to skate untouched to the front of the net and fire Krajiček's pass top shelf over a stranded Roman Málek, giving Třinec a 4-3 lead with 7:53 to play.

Třinec now seemed to be brimming with confidence and Vítkovice seemed to be reeling. Television coverage saw the league's large-yet-generic-looking championship trophy being readied. The contingent of Třinec fans in the building were jumping, literally, while the majority of the home fans were quiet, and not many people would likely have bet on a Vítkovice victory at that point.

However, they were given a breath of life when Martin Richter was sent off for holding with 2:57 left, and the team called a timeout and pulled the goaltender, giving them a six-on-four advantage. Třinec managed to kill off the power-play by effectively icing the puck. In the last minute, Jan Peterek had a golden chance to put the game and the series away, but his shot from the neutral zone missed the empty net by cetimetres. Vítkovice recovered and, two passes later, Jan Kaňa was flying down the right wing and fired a shot at Peter Hamerlík. He stopped the shot, but couldn't control the rebound, and Lukáš Klimek pounced on the loose puck and fired it over a fallen Hamerlík to tie the score with 30 seconds remaining.

In overtime, Třinec still clearly wanted to finish off the series and had the best scoring opportunities, but Málek made a couple of point-blank season-saving stops. After a scoreless period, the game went to a shootout. Ondřej Šedivý and Viktor Ujčik scored on Vítkovice's first two attempts, while Málek denied both shooters he faced, sealing the victory for the home side.

"I'm not often in shootouts," said the 21-year-old Šedivý, a little-used winger who scored 3 goals in 30 games this season. "But recently, I was scoring in practices and the coach said to me that if there's a shootout, I'll go. So I went, I tried what I wanted and luckily it worked."

After two days off, the series will resume on Tuesday in Třinec. Oceláři will then have a chance to win its first championship on home ice.

Třinec 1 win away from 1st national championship

Until now, Třinec has never won a Czechoslovak or Czech national championship, but in 2011 they seem to have all the earmarks of a champion. Whatever strategy their opponent wants to employ to combat them, they are more than happy to engage.

Martin Růžička tied the game at 1 on a first-period two-man
advantage. Photo: Marian Ježowicz, hcocelari.cz.

Wednesday night, Vítkovice Steel did a good job of shutting down the dangerously offensive Třinec squad for most of the game, but like a champion, Oceláři didn't force things, but confidently sat back, played solid defence, and waited for their opportunity.

When the series shifted to Ostrava on Friday night, Vítkovice entered the game with the apparent realization that they would need to score in order to win. On their home ice, fueled on by their home crowd, Vítkovice attacked hard out of the gate and got the first goal of the game halfway through the opening period when Petr Vrána re-directed an airborne puck past Peter Hamerlík.

Late in the period, however, Vítkovice was down two men and its penalty killers weren't able to cover Martin Růžička, leaving him unchecked at the side of the net, and David Květoň found him with a perect pass across the goalmouth. Mirroring his play throughout the playoffs, Růžička made no mistake converting it, and the game was tied.

On a second period power-play, Vítkovice looked to regain the lead, but a bad pass in the neutral zone resulted in an Erik Hrňa short-handed breakaway. Roman Málek made one save from point-blank range, then another when Hrňa recovered his own rebound. A few minutes later, Vítkovice turned over the puck at the Třinec blueline, resulting in an odd-man break. Málek bailed his team out once more on the initial shot, but this time Jiří Polanský fired home the rebound to give Třinec a 2-1 lead. Late in the period, Martin Adamský scored a back-breaking goal on yet another breakaway, and Třinec went into the final 20 with a two-goal lead. 

By this time, frustration was beginning to show on the Vítkovice side. Marek Malík, who is looked upon for leadership, drove Růžička head-first into the boards and was penalized. Ružička seemed to have a cut on his lip, but was otherwise alright. Jan Peterek added a late insurance marker, and Třinec won 4-1 to take a 3-0 stranglehold on the series.

"We expected a difficult game and it was. Vitkovice came at us hard at the start, put pressure on us, forced us to take penalties and took the lead," was how Třinec coach Pavel Marek saw the early part of the game. 

"Then it was fortunate that we managed to score on the two-man advantage because it was critical to the development of the game. We kept it balanced because we didn't want to let Vítkovice put more pressure on us, so we played very carefully. We had a great deal of luck. Then we managed to score a second goal. Peter Hamerlík held us in there. We're happy that we won this game, but nothing is done. Vítkovice today showed its strength, we can't get carried away with the victory. Our opponent played well, had great movement and so we can't let up."

In truth, Vítkovice is a good team and played a good game, but Třinec is a better team and played a better game. Now, with a 3-0 series lead, it would take a collapse of Boston Bruins proportion to prevent Oceláři from winning its first championship.

Vítkovice goes home in 0-2 hole, disappointed but confident

After a sloppy performance in game 1, Vítkovice Steel was looking to get back to playing their type of hockey in game 2. For 58 minutes, they played exactly the type of game that they wanted.

Třinec's Václav Varaďa breaks the 0-0 tie with 1:01 to play.
Photo: Marian Ježowicz, hcocelari.cz.

For 58 minutes, they kept all of Třinec's big guns in check, and did so by playing typically strong-yet-disciplined Vítkovice hockey. Martin Růžička, an offensive stalwart who has averaged 2 points per game over this year's playoff run, was handcuffed and barely noticed. Even when they did take a penalty, they were strong on the kill, rendering the normally lethal Třinec power-play largely ineffective.

If Vítkovice had managed to score a goal in those 58 minutes, they might have got the result they wanted. But Třinec's defence was equally stingy, as they seemed content to play this style and bide their time until they got their chance. With overtime looming, they got it.

When Pavel Trka was sent off for hooking with 1:45 to play, the Třinec power-play went to work. And work is a good description of how they scored, as it was more the result of brawn than skill.

Just over a minute before the end of regulation time, Vítkovice goaltender Roman Málek tried to cover a loose puck in a mad scramble in front of the goal. A mass of bodies and the puck ended up in the net, as Václav Varaďa managed to force it over the line. "I knocked the puck, stopped it, I kept it in front of me, but that's about all I know," said Málek, trying to describe what happened. "The player who scored the goal fell on me and about half of my body was already over the goal line."

An empty-net goal by Martin Adamský made the final score 2-0. After being kept in check most of the game, Růžička managed to fill his 2-point quota by assisting on both goals. That extends his playoff record to 30 points in 15 games.  

In the Třinec goal, Peter Hamerlík stopped all 25 shots he faced. He added to his league-leading 6 shutouts during the regular season by recording his second of the playoffs. Málek stopped the first 24 he faced.

"We played a great game, it hurts a lot," the defeated goaltender continued after the game. "For sixty minutes we worked like horses and didn't get anything. We have to get it done at home. The third game especially will be tremendously important."

For all the disappointment, the veteran players on the team still aren't panicking. "I think we played a lot better than the first game. Although we spent some time on the penalty kill, which cost us a lot of energy, the performance was definitely not bad," commented veteran defenceman Marek Malík. "We just have try to win the two games at home, like Třinec did."