Sparta and Zlín win pivotal quarterfinal games

Written for Eurohockey.com:

In a best-of-seven series, the third game is always key, whether it's 1-1 or 2-0 going in. On the road, Sparta Praha won to take a 2-1 lead in Brno, while Zlín got its first win of the series on home ice against Plzeň.

Kometa Brno 2 - 5 Sparta Prague
(Sparta leads best-of-seven series 2-1)

Alex Foster (23) tied the game 1-1 early in the second period.
Photo: Michal Eger, hc-kometa.cz.

After maybe being fortunate to escape the first two games at home with a split, Sparta Praha knew it wasn't out of the woods yet, as they had to play two games in probably the loudest arena in the Extraliga--Kajot Arena in Brno. After falling behind in the first, they took control of the game in the second period and ultimately cruised to victory, taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

In fact, Sparta was lucky to escape the first period down only a goal. The always noisy Brno crowd was even more pumped up than usual for a playoff encounter against one of the more hated opponents: the perennial powerhouses from the nation's capital. After Sunday's game, forward Alex Foster said that the key for a road team in Brno was taking the crowd out of it early, but at that Sparta failed miserably on Wednesday. Tomáš Pöpperle, one of the biggest keys to Sparta's first-place finish this year, was the main reason they were still in the game after 20 minutes.

In the 13th minute, Tomáš Svoboda finally scored the game's first goal when Jiří Vašiček's shot from the point went in off his skate. This pumped up the home crowd and the pressure continued. In the last two minutes of play, the puck went in again, but the net had been dislodged moments before, and a penalty shot was awarded. Martin Erat took the shot and tried to go through Pöpperle's legs, but was denied.

If the first period was dominated by Kometa, Sparta was perhaps even more dominant in the second period. They scored three goals to take control of the game, They got goals from Foster, Petr Ton, and then late in the period Michal Sersen on the power play to give the visitors a 3-1 lead heading to the final period.

When Mario Bližňák made it 4-1 early in the third, it seemed pretty academic afterward. Erat closed the score to 4-2, but Petr Tenkrát put it away late on a delayed penalty.


PSG Zlín 1 - 0 Plzeň 1929
(Plzeň leads best-of-seven series 2-1)

Despite all the traffic, Luboš Horčička stopped everything thrown
at him on Wednesday night. Photo: Jiří Zaňát, hcplzen.cz.

After coming up empty on the road, Zlín finally got on the win column on home ice. Like the game in Brno, it was first period goaltending that the victors should be thankful for. Thanks to three power plays, the visitors from Plzeň had the lion's share of chances in the opening frame, but Luboš Horčička kept them off the board.

Early in the second period, Antonín Honejsek fed a perfect pass to Ondřej Veselý, who re-directed the puck past Adam Svoboda for the game's first, and ultimately only, goal. It would be the only blemish on an otherwise masterful night for Svoboda, who stopped 31 of 32 shots and spent the rest of the night keeping his team within a goal.

However, Plzeň's offence was stifled after that, and could never again mount the sustained pressure that they had in the first period. They did have a couple of good chances in the third period, particularly on a goalmouth scramble with eight minutes left when Horčička stopped the puck on the goal line, but kept it out. But the late push for an equalizer never really came, and the game ended 1-0.


Now, both Brno and Zlín trail 2-1 in games with critical fourth games at home. If either is to lose, they will face the prospect of having to win three straight games, two of which will be in enemy territory.

3 Czech teams in Red Bull Salute

Teams from the Czech Extraliga have acquitted themselves well so far at the 2011 European Trophy. Heading into the final weekend of play, Plzeň 1929 and Pardubice had already clinched spots among the final eight. On Saturday night, České Budějovice joined them, beating Kometa Brno 3-1.

Jakub Kovář has been nearly unbeatable in the Budějovice goal.
Photo: Roman Kantor, hc-kometa.cz.

"I think that is was very good preparation," said Budějovice assistant coach Milan Kupka. "The key for us was surviving the first penalty and scoring the first goal. And of course, we were also helped by a great performance from our goalkeeper."

Great performances from the goalkeeper have become commonplace in České Budějovice. Last season, Jakub Kovář was voted the top goaltender in the Czech Extraliga and earned a spot on the Czech national team. This year, he has so far played in all seven of his club's games at the European Trophy and surrendered only 12 goals. His 1.63 goals-against average and .940 are the best in the tournament among goaltenders that have appeared in more than four games.

Bílí Tygři Liberec entered the weekend with an outside shot of advancing, but dropped both games on home ice and will finish fifth in the South Division. On Saturday, they were finished when they lost 3-2 to Luleå HF. Then on Sunday, they were edged 5-4 by Eisbären Berlin in the last game for both teams.

Slavia Praha also played its last game of the tournament on Sunday in Mannheim. Though they were locked in last place in the North Division, they had a chance to play spoilers against Adler, who could have advanced to the Red Bull Salute with a win. Slavia picked up just its second win of the tournament, however, knocking Adler out with a 5-3 win. They were led by 3 goals and 1 assist from Tomáš Svoboda, whose 4-point effort gives him 9 for the tournament; tied for sixth in overall scoring.

The game was a rough affair, in which 290 minutes in penalties were racked up by both teams. The final few minutes were marred by multiple fights in which resulted in the banishments of Jiří Vašiček,  Michal Poletin and Dmitrij Jaškin of Slavia.

The melée at the end of the game was captured by a few fans in Mannheim, who posted their videos to youtube:

 

There are still two more games to be played in the group stage of the European Trophy on Tuesday. They both involve only Czech teams, but neither will have any effect on who adances to the Red Bull Salute. Sparta Praha visits České Budějovice and Pardubice visits Plzeň. Plzeň can still eclipse Budějovice in points and finish atop the division, but both teams will advance, regardless.

The Red Bull Salute will be played December 16 to 18 in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria. It is a three-round single-knockout involving eight teams. This is the schedule, which will be finalised after Tuesday's games:

Friday, December 16:
17:15 Jokerit Helsinki - Plzeň / České Budějovice (quarterfinal, Vienna)
17:15 Frölunda Indians - Linköpings HC (quarterfinal, Salzburg)
20:30 Plzeň / České Budějovice - Luleå HF (quarterfinal, Vienna)
20:30 HC Pardubice - EC Red Bull Salzburg (quarterfinal, Salzburg)

Saturday, December 17:
17:15 Winners of quarterfinals in Vienna (semifinal, Vienna)
17:15 Winners of quarterfinals in Salzburg (semifinal, Salzburg)
20:30 Losers of quarterfinals in Vienna (qualification, Vienna)
20:30 Losers of quarterfinals in Salzburg (qualification, Salzburg)

Sunday, December 18:
14:00 Losers of qualification games (7th/8th place, Salzburg)
17:15 Winners of qualification games (5th/6th place, Salzburg)
17:15 Losers of semifinal games (3rd/4th place, Vienna)
20:30 Winners of semifinal games (championship game, Vienna)

Třinec forces game 7

On Wednesday night at O2 Arena in Prague, Slavia Praha and Oceláři Třinec met in the sixth game of their semifinal series with, as the saying goes, Slavia looking to end it and Třinec looking to extend it. Třinec had already fought off one match point on home ice on Monday, and were looking to take the series back to their barn for a decisive seventh game on Friday.

The two teams traded goals early on, and then midway through the first period Slavia found themselves with an extended five-on-three advantage. They blew a similar opportunity on Monday and weren't about to again, and Tomáš Svoboda took advantage of a fortuitous bounce when the puck was kicked onto his stick and he buried it to give Slavia the lead. In the second, Svoboda scored his second of the game when he came out from the corner and fired a perfect backhander off the far post and in to really put Slavia in the driver's seat.

But things turned around quickly.

Just over a minute after Svoboda's second goal, Lukáš Krajiček's point shot deflected off a Slavia defender attempting to block the shot and fluttered past goaltender Miroslav Kopřiva to make it a one-goal game. With less than three minutes to play in the middle frame, defenceman Josef Hrabal tied it with a bullet from the point that went top corner. And then, with only 1:24 left, Martin Růžička's weak-angle shot beat Kopřiva between the legs to give Třinec its first lead of the game.

Slavia's Jiří Vašíček (left) and Třinec's Václav Varaďa duke it out
late in game 6. Neither is likely to face suspension for game 7.
Photo: hc-slavia.cz.

In the third period, Slavia made several strong pushes to tie the game, but were unable to generate much sustained pressure. After an empty-net goal in the last minute put the game away, tempers boiled over and some players traded punches in the dying seconds. Generously, the referees dished out nothing more than minors and misconducts, so it's unlikely any player will miss the seventh game due to suspension.

While Třinec may seem to be in a favourable position, it should be remembered that Slavia also squandered a 3-1 lead in games against Liberec in the quarterfinals and then won the seventh game on the road. "Certainly, we haven't won," said Martin Růžička after the game.

After scoring 4 goals on Monday, Růžička's goal and 2 assists Wednesday lifted his playoff total to 25, setting a new Extraliga record for a single playoff year. "For us, what's really important is how the team plays and if we're winning. I don't care too much about individuals, it's tricky. We have to play as a team, win as a team, and if someone sets a record, it is only secondary. I'm really not thinking about it."

"It's good to know that we can handle these games against opponents that are better on paper, so we believe it now," Slavia's Tomáš Svoboda told the team's website. "We're definitely going to Třinec to win." 

Game 7 will be played Friday, starting at 18:10. It will be televised and webcasted by ČT4.

Slavia wins in OT, semifinals schedule set

Just when it seemed like the magic had run out for Slavia Praha and the tied had turned completely in favour of Bílí Tygři Liberec, along came Tomáš Svoboda to rescue them.

Slavia celebrates the game- and series-winning goal. Photo:
Jiří Částka, FotoBanka.net.

After 4 games in the series, underdog Slavia led 3-1 and looked poised for an upset. But Liberec made a goaltending change, going with Tomáš Vošvrda in game 5, who shut out Slavia at home and then backstopped them to a 3-2 shootout victory in Prague in game 6, setting the stage for Wednesday's seventh game.

And for 55 minutes, it looked like the home team, urged on by their rabid fans clad all in white, was in total control. They were ahead 2-0 after 40 minutes and 3-1 with just 5 minutes to play in regulation time. Jakub Sklenář scored with 4:25 on the clock to give Slavia some hope. Suddenly, the team that had seemed dead came back to life, and started putting on all kinds of pressure, setting the home team back on its heels. With 1:06 left, Svoboda chipped the puck past Vošvrda to tie the score, and let the air out of the building.

According to Extraliga rules, any playoff game that ends tied after 60 minutes, prior to the league finals, follows the IIHF standard of 10 minutes of sudden-death overtime, followed by the dreaded shootout. Not in a seventh game, however. If a game 7 goes to overtime, the teams continue to play until somebody scores. That was the scenario the teams faced in Liberec on Wednesday night. Slavia actually got 2 power-play opportunities in extra time, but failed to generate any really good scoring chance. In the first 10 minutes, the best chance belonged to Liberec's Lukáš Vantuch, but he failed to beat Miroslav Kopřiva in the Slavia goal.

Finally, at the 13:05 mark, Svoboda struck again, sending Slavia into the semifinals and ending Liberec's season. Where does Svoboda rank the goal?

"It was the greatest goal of my life," he said after the game, barely able to control his enthusiasm. "I would rank it in first place, maybe along with a goal from the World Junior Championships (in 2007), but because it moved us on (to the next round), it's a great feeling."

Petr Nedvěd, showing scars from what might have been his final
series. Photo: Jiří Částka, FotoBanka.net.

"It's a shame that we didn't play that way from the beginning," said Liberec captain Petr Nedvěd, who had 10 points in the series, in reference to the 1-3 hole they had to fight out of. "We entered into the series half-heartedly, and it cost us victory." 

The 39-year old, who has played professional hockey for 21 years now, was asked by Jan Vacek of hokej.cz if he had decided if he would be back for another year. 

"I don't know, there have been more important things on my mind, I haven't really thought about it. Now I have a lot of time to think, give it some time. I'll see how I feel." 

With the four quarterfinal series now over, the semifinal schedule has been released. The match-ups are Oceláři Třinec against Slavia, and Vítkovice Steel against Eaton Pardubice. Things get underway Saturday at 18:10, with Vítkovice hosting Pardubice.

Following is the semifinal schedule, according to hokej.cz. It should be noted that times could be changed to accommodate television coverage. The TV schedule hasn't been announced, but it is likely that every game will be televised by ČT4 Sport and be available online at www.ct24.cz/sport.


Saturday, March 19 - game 1:
17:00 HC Vítkovice Steel - HC Eaton Pardubice

Sunday, March  20 - game 2:
18:10 HC Vítkovice Steel - HC Eaton Pardubice

Monday, March 21 - game 1:
17:00 HC Oceláři Třinec - HC Slavia Praha

Tuesday, March 22 - game 2:
18:10 HC Oceláři Třinec - HC Slavia Praha

Wednesday, March 23 - game 3:
18:10 HC Eaton Pardubice - HC Vítkovice Steel

Thursday, March 24 - game 4:
18:10 HC Eaton Pardubice - HC Vítkovice Steel

Friday, March 25 - game 3:
18:10 HC Slavia Praha - HC Oceláři Třinec

Saturday, March 26 - game 4:
17:40 HC Slavia Praha - HC Oceláři Třinec

Sunday, March 27 - game 5 (if necessary):
18:10 HC Vítkovice Steel - HC Eaton Pardubice

Monday, March 28  - game 5 (if necessary):
18:10 HC Oceláři Třinec - HC Slavia Praha

Tuesday, March 29 - game 6 (if necessary):
18:10 HC Eaton Pardubice - HC Vítkovice Steel

Wednesday, March 30 - game 6 (if necessary):
18:10 HC Slavia Praha - HC Oceláři Třinec

Thursday, March 31 - game 7 (if necessary):
18:10 HC Vítkovice Steel - HC Eaton Pardubice

Friday, April 1 - game 7 (if necessary):
18:10 HC Oceláři Třinec - HC Slavia Praha

Slavia celebrates 110th anniversary with shootout win

Czech hockey legend Augustin Bubník acknowledges the
crowd before dropping the puck between captains Martin
Straka (left) of Plzeň and Marek Tomica of Slavia. Photo:
Pavel Vrtiška, hc-slavia.cz.

It is sometimes said that O2 Arena is too large for the needs of the Czech Extraliga, and perhaps that's true on many nights. But when a special occasion takes place, it can definitely provide the needed big-league atmosphere.

The pre-game ceremony involving Slavia stars from the past and the appearance of both teams, sporting uniforms of years gone by, gave everyone the feeling that this was a special night. And when the game got underway, the home team wasted little time in bringing the crowd to its feet.

Petr Jelínek scored for Slavia just 39 seconds after the opening face-off, but Plzeň 1929 showed that they weren't just going to be polite guests on this evening. Jakub Jeřábek set up league scoring leader Tomáš Vlasák to tie the score seven minutes later. It was the first of 3 assists on the night for Jeřábek, who was the Czech captain at the World Junior Championships, and the first of 2 goals for Vlasák.

After a scoreless second period, the teams traded 2 goals each in under 10 minutes in the first half of the third period, and then the sticks went silent again, as regulation time and then overtime finished with the score tied 3-3. After the first round of shooters finished with the shootout tied 2-2, Tomáš Svoboda came for his second attempt and scored to give Slavia the lead. Goaltender Miroslav Kopřiva then stopped Martin Straka to end the game.

Radek Duda, the Plzeň winger who has recently been in the news for his involvement in a traffic incident in Karlovy Vary last week, was notably absent from their lineup. Also missing was defenceman John Slaney of St. John's, NL, who has now missed the last 7 games with a concussion. Earlier in the year, he missed 11 games with a broken jaw.

Despite the loss, Plzeň picked up a point, and is now tied for ninth place with Energie Karlovy Vary, who lost 5-3 in Mladá Boleslav. Falling out of the playoff picture for now is Kometa Brno, who lost 5-2 on home ice to Mountfield České Budějovice. Once tied for third place, Kometa is 3-1-0-14 in its last 18 games on the 3-2-1-0 points scale. Climbing to eighth place is Benzina Litvínov, who now has 4 wins and a shootout loss in the 5 games since making a coaching change with their surprising 3-1 victory over first-place Oceláři Třinec.

Třinec now shares first with Bílí Tigři Liberec, who shut out Vagnerplast Kladno 3-0. Rounding out the night's action were two more shutouts: PSG Zlín over Sparta Praha 3-0 and Eaton Pardubice over a floundering Vítkovice Steel squad, 4-0. Once league-leaders, Vítkovice is now tied for third with Zlín, 7 points behind Třinec and Liberec.