Třinec is new league champion in Czech Republic

12 Apr 2011 | Petr Polák

HC Oceláři Třinec used its second chance for the final series ending with a 5-1 victory against Vítkovice in the fifth game and its players starting to celebrate the very first league title in club history.

Game Five (Tue, Apr 12)
Třinec – Vítkovice 5:1

Třinec was dominating the game from the first seconds: Although the Dragons were penalized for too many players on the ice in the first minute of the game, they scored a shorthanded goal! A phantom of this year’s Czech playoffs Martin Růžička went on a breakaway and scored his seventeenth playoffs goal in the season.

Vítkovice was still living, and within just one minute Ovčačík tied it, but the Knights were unable to recover after three big hits into their psychics during the rest of the first period: At the first they had a 5-minutes long power-play after Kohn’s game misconduct for a shoulder hit of Káňa’s face, but the Vítkovice players didn’t lock Třinec in its attacking zone.

What was the second bad incident for Vítkovice? The team forfeited one of its big leaders; 39-years old forward Viktor Ujčík. After the horn Ujčík was in an emotional discussion with Květoň and clinked him at the head using own head.

Both game-misconduct penalties were disputable but the result was quite easy: The end of the game for Ujčík and Kohn, inability of Vítkovice to create any goal-chance during long power-play and probably also a bang into the Vítkovice players’ psychics that was perfectly to see in Ujčík’s face after the game ending. He got tears in his eyes.

But the major problem for the away team occurred earlier, in the 18th minute. A 3-on-2 Třinec breakaway ended with a Květoň goal for 2-1 that was also the final score after the first period.

From this while, there was only one team on the ice: Třinec. Although Vítkovice goalie Málek showed up lots of fantastic saves during all the game he was empty-handed three more times: the third Třinec goal scored Hrabal on a shot from the blue line that Málek wasn’t able to see.
The fourth goal came after a Vítkovice effort to lock Třinec in its defensive zone, but the Kinghts forgot the back-doors and a 2-on-1 breakaway of Zagrapan and the goal-scorer Hrňa was used.

The last goal in this Czech Extraliga season scored Jan Peterek from the near with a shot to cover.

Třinec is the historically eighth winner of the Czech Extraliga that was founded in 1993 after a decay of Czechoslovakia in two countries. After the President trophy climbing in the regular season, the Dragons grabbed also the league title.