Czech Extraliga after the first two rounds

Originally, this article should review three rounds instead of two, but because of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team jet crash seven games of the first round were postponed. They were scheduled on a day when the funeral of one Czech victim of the tragedy Jan Marek was planned. All games of the first round were re-scheduled.
 

Round Two: Sunday, Sep 18

 
Slavia P. - Karlovy Vary  2:1
Karlovy Vary had to go home from Prague with no point even if they had pretty good chances to win the game. In the times of their 0-1 lead in the second period Rastislav Dej had a penalty shot, but didn't change it into 0-2 lead. Shortly after the start of the third period Slavia tied the score and later, 7 minutes before the third horn Svoboda used Slavia's powerplay.
 
Pardubice - Liberec  5:2
Pardubice took a deciding lead in the game during the first period. After 20 minutes the score was 2:0 thanks to Nakládal and to a greenhorn in Pardubice's roster, Elkins. The second period brought hope for Liberec, both teams scored twice, but Pardubice was the team that said the last word in the game: Also the second new trans-Atlantic acquisition Jonathan Sim scored a goal for 5-2.
 
Třinec - Brno  1:3
Last year's champion opened the new season with a home game against the team with most fan(t)astic fans in the league. Hockey is like a religion in Brno and there were plenty of fans from Brno in Třinec. They could watch how their club were winning the first points in the league standings because of magnificent 34 seconds in the third. Until the 55th minute it was 1-1 on the scoreboard but Zohorna and Pospíšil scored two goals within 34 seconds and Kometa won the game.
 
Litvínov - České Budějovice  3:2
The third home winning team of four in the second round became Litvínov. The club with Martin Ručínský in the roster receives three points thanks to a Robin Hanzl who scored a game-winning-goal in the 36th minute for 3-1. Even if Ptáček reduced the score difference to one goal three minutes later, České Budějovice wasn't able to equalize.
 
Mladá Boleslav - Zlín  3:4
Zlín was in the lead during almost all the game. "The Cobblers" took the lead as early as after 210 seconds of play. The goal was scored by Honejsek for who this was the very first Extraliga goal during his very first shift in his Extraliga career.
 
 
Kladno - Sparta P.  3:2
The most interesting summer news from Kladno is that the club was bought by the current Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) star Jaromír Jágr. The second is the fact that people really trust in him and his club reforms - you could see it in the stands of Kladno's ice rink during the game against Sparta. So many fans weren't there since the 2008 playoffs. And they were leaving the arena happy, the newly formed team of Kladno defeated Sparta 3-2 due to a goal by Pavel Skrbek, a player who signed a contract with Kladno less than an hour before the game.
 
Plzeň - Vítkovice 4:3 SO
There was a very offensive game to see in Plzeň. A game when the forwards were better than the goalies. After 34 seconds Vítkovice was leading 0-1, after another 38 seconds 0-2. Especially the second goal was untraditional; Húževka exceeded Svoboda in Plzeň's net with a shot outside of the attacking zone. But it wasn't the only quaint goal in the game. Plzeň scored a goal from the neutral zone as well, Mrňa shot a goal almost from center ice. Plzeň turned the score in the 29th minute, but Vítkovice equalized 9 minutes before the end. The final resolution came out in the shootout, the only successful player was Ondřej Kratěna.
 

Round Three: Tuesday, Sep 20

 
České Budějovice - Třinec  4:3
In connection to this game Czech Extraliga was most curious on Derek Verot's appearance. This much-known player from Vityaz Chekhov(KHL) is in Třinec now and some players are concerned about their health. Verot got 12 PIMs for a cross-check from behind, České Budějovice scored one more time than Třinec and reached the first points in the season. Třinec stays with zero.
 
Zlín - Kladno  2:3 SO
Kladno confirmed that this season its players will be able to play equal games with strong opponents. The game was tied after 60 minutes, so overtime and later also shootout had to come. An interesting situation occurred during the shootout: Kladno's goalie Chábera skated out from the net prematurely and Leška's unused shot was repeated. From the second shot Leška scored a goal. But the game-winning-goal scored Kladno, more accurately Kalla. It was his second goal in the game.
 
Mladá Boleslav - Slavia P.  1:5
All the games of Sunday's round were really equal. The showdown of Mladá Boleslav and Slavia becomes the first of the season that ended with a huge score difference and it was really a showdown. Even if six goals were scored, it wasn't a nice game and the referees had a lot of work with awarding penalties. Totally they gave 146 penalty minutes and Čutta with Žabka ended the game prematurely because of game misconducts for fighting.
 
Vítkovice - Litvínov  2:1 SO
Also the second game of Vítkovice in the season came to a shootout that was decided with a Pohl backhand deke in the sixth round of the shootout. During the regular 60 minutes and during the 5 minutes long overtime both teams scored just once even if enough of chances occurred. But the players couldn't beat the goalies. The goal of Vítkovice was really special: Svačina cranked the puck on the net because just two seconds was remaining to the end of the second period, but the puck ended in the net.
 
Brno - Plzeň  3:2 SO
Plzeň came to Brno to confirm the good start of the season after the home victory on the opening night. The Indians from Plzeň were in 0-1 and 1-2 leads but Brno equalized twice. For a denouement of the game, fans had to wait for the shootout. The only goal was scored by Hubáček in the seventh round. Hubáček could have decided the game earlier, but the coach didn't let him take a penalty shot until the seventh series round.
 
Sparta P. - Liberec  2:3 OT
Liberec has not won a game at Sparta's home rink for three years until Tuesday, even if this was "just" an overtime victory. But according to the picture of a play from the first period Liberec had good chances to win three points, because after 16 minutes they already had a two-goal lead. Sparta tied the score in the end of the second period and later had some chances to turn the result to its side. Unfortunately for the home fans Sparta didn't score anymore. A big moment came for Špaček in the fourth minute of the overtime and Liberec won the game.
 
Karlovy Vary - Parubice  3:7
Scheduled on Wednesday, Sep 21. Comment will be added later.


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