HC Pilsen – Zlín 4:2 (end)
final
HC Pilsen
4:2 (0:1, 1:0, 3:1)
Berani Zlín
Sunday 25.11.2012, 14:00 • CEZ Arena, Plzen • Tipsport extraliga (CZE)
     
    Welcome. Game starts at 14:00.
     
    Another clash for the first place in the league table is waiting for the fans in Plzen. This time, Skoda will face PSG Zlin during the matches of 25th round. The visitors are best team while playing away from home, which secured them 2nd place for now, just one behind the leader from Plzen.
     
    Indians from Plzen had to say good bye to their Finnish goalie star, Tuukka Rask, who decided to return overseas before the NHL starts. However, if the league won't start in the next weeks, he'll might come back. For today, Marek Mazanec should be defending the home team net.

    On the other side, there are two quite equal goaltenders, Horcicka and Sedlacek, who have both their save percentage over 92.
     
    The most successful forwards of the visitors are Cajanek and Honejsek, who both have 17 points so far. Cajanek for 8 goals and 9 assists, younger Honejsek is also a top scorer of Zlin with 9 goals and 8 assists.

    The captain of Zlin Petr Cajanek has also collected most penalty minutes, specifically 45.

    In the home team, the most productive player is also the best one in assists, Tomas Vlasak with 11+24 statistics. The top scorer of the Indians is with 14 precise shots, Milan Gulas.

    There can't be any hesitation about an evil man in Plzen. Ryan Hollweg has already spent 97 minutes in penalty box.
     
    Starting lineups:

    HC Skoda Plzen: Mazanec – Frolo, Jerabek, St. Pierre, Lev, Marusak, Ruzicka, Mozik, Bohac, Balej, Kratena, Vlasak, Straka, Kasparik, Kovar, Hollweg, Dvorak, Havlicek, Gulas, Johnson, Pletka

    PSG Zlin: Sedlacek – Tesarik, Reznicek, Matejicek, Urbanec, Linhart, Senkerik, Hamrlik, Horak, Köhler, Cech, Cajanek, Leska, Kubis, Honejsek, Slahar, Melenovsky, Holik, Vesely, Okal, Balastik

    Referees: Pesina, Sindler – Pouzar, Badal.
     
    00:01
    Game started.
     
    00:18
    Gulas's early attempt stopped by Sedlacek's right pad.
     
    00:52
    Vesely's deflection just before Mazanec wasn't accurate enough to find the way behind him.
     
    01:27
    Cajanek's back pass was taken by Plzen defenders.
     
    02:29
    Marusak's long pass resulted into first icing.
     
    03:08
    Great forechecking of the home team in the offensive zone brought success.
     
    03:58
    Great opportunity for Plzen! Milan Gulas appeared alone in front of an open goal. However, in the last possible second, some of the Zlin defenders managed to block his stick and sent the puck away.
     
    05:24
    Misunderstanding between Kubis and Slahar saved the home side from a difficult situation in front of Mazanec.
     
    06:06
    Indians managed to get out of their zone for a while, but Zlin returned immediately.
     
    07:18
    Sedlacek covers the puck after a long distance shot from the neutral zone.
     
    07:59
    Zlin just threw the puck away to change.
     
    09:07
    Leska's pass forward wasn't accurate and the indians go to counter-attack.
     
    09:18
    Bedrich Köhler (ZLN) got a minor penalty for holding. First powerplay for the home team.
     
    09:29
    Marusak's shot went wide.
     
    10:05
    Kovar missed Kratena's pass in front of an open goal!
     
    10:29
    Another chance for the home team as they created a pressure.
     
    10:52
    Zlin finally clears the zone and sends some fresh players on ice.
     
    11:18
    Visiting team at full strength.
     
    11:43
    Goal for Zlin!
    Wonderful combination between the first line of Zlin ends with first goal of the match. Leska's pass from behind the goal was sent in with a powerful one timer by JAROSLAV BALASTIK. 0:1! Assistance: Petr Leska, Bedrich Köhler.
     
    13:00
    Vlasak found Straka with a nice back pass, but the Plzen captain wasn't as successful with his finish. His shot ended in Sedlacek's glove.
     
    13:13
    Vlasak poked the puck in front of Sedlacek, but his attempt didn't find a way into the goal.
     
    14:10
    Balej showed some skills in the offensive zone right now. He also tried to surprise Sedlacek with a quick wirst shot from the circles.
     
    14:31
    Another save for Sedlacek. The game will continue with a face-off by his right hand.
     
    14:49
    Gulas shooted just as he crossed the blueline, but hit only Sedlacek's chest.
     
    15:35
    Zlin can't get into the zone. Not even the elite formation.
     
    16:27
    Another save for Sedlacek. This time against Kasparik's snap shot.
     
    17:02
    Matejicek tried his luck from the neutral zone, but Mazanec has seen his hard slap shot for the whole time and though he didn't have a problem with catching the puck.
     
    17:37
    Vlasak had a chance as he found the puck among a group of players just in front of Sedlacek. However, his shot wasn't accurate enough to beat the Zlin goaltender.
     
    18:09
    Icing moves the game back next to Sedlacek.
     
    18:35
    Face-off in the neutral zone.
     
    19:05
    Vesely's shot was blocked away.
     
    19:45
    Matejicek proved his hard shot once again. Thanks for the home team, he didn't hit the target.
     
    20:00
    1st period finished.
     
    First period ends with a narrow lead for the visitors since the only goal scorer so far is Jaroslav Balastik. However, Plzen had more opportunities to break the deadlock. Especially in the powerplay, where Gulas appeared with a puck on stick in front of an open goal. Thanks to a great defensive work of Zlin's defenders, Sedlacek still holds the clean sheet.
     
    20:01
    2nd period began.
     
    20:31
    2 minutes for Tomas Linhart (ZLN) – high sticking. Another opportunity for Plzen to equalize.
     
    20:53
    Kratena crossed the blue line and returned back on the defenders.
     
    21:23
    Marusak's slap shot was stopped by Sedlacek. Kovar then tried to tap it in, but hit the post!
     
    22:45
    Bad deflection of Straka's skates moved the puck on the Linhart's stick. The visitors went into a breakaway, but Melenovsky's finnish was stopped by Mazanec.
     
    23:53
    Hollweg could show the crowd also his shooting skills, but missed the puck with a one-timer between the circles.
     
    24:40
    Nice combination between Kovar and Kratena. However, there was another great save by Sedlacek in the end of the whole attack.
     
    25:28
    Icing of Zlin followed with a face-off in their defensive zone.
     
    25:56
    Another icing of the visitors, as they can't get out of their zone for a while.
     
    26:35
    Melenovsky found the gap between Mazanec's legs, but still missed the goal.
     
    26:45
    Vaclav Pletka (PLZ) will serve a minor penalty for too many players on ice.
     
    27:23
    Dvorak clears the zone.
     
    27:54
    Leska's effort from the right side was blocked away by Mazanec.
     
    28:36
    Balastik missed the target at the end of a 2-on-1 situation.
     
    28:45
    Home team at full strength.
     
    29:55
    Frolo's shot was deflected just in front of Sedlacek. Luckily for him, out of the goal.
     
    30:16
    Mazanec made an important save against Leska's deke.
     
    31:26
    Urbanec's shot saved by Mazanec.
     
    31:39
    Icing of the home team.
     
    32:20
    St. Pierre managed to block away Slahar's snap shot.
     
    32:47
    Another icing of Plzen.
     
    32:51
    Okal tried his luck right after winning the face-off. Mazanec managed to stop his effort.
     
    33:38
    Balej got into the crease and tried to push the puck behind the goal line with a goalie. The referees will have to call for help.
     
    33:38
    Goal for Plzen! JOZEF BALEJ scored an equalizer with an agressive finish! The referees had to call for advice, but in the end, the allowed the goal. Sedlacek did all he could to keep the puck in the game, but apparently, he wasn't successful. 1:1! Assists: Jan Kovar, Ondrej Kratena.
     
    35:36
    Another interesting situation in front of Sedlacek, who covered the puck in the end.
     
    35:57
    Bad passing play of the home team resulted in another icing.
     
    36:00
    Köhler's shot was blocked into the safety net above Mazanec. Another face-off.
     
    36:23
    Kovar found Balej with an excellent pass behind the defense of Zlin. However, Balej wasn't able to control the puck.
     
    37:26
    Gulas slipped trough on the left side. His shot ended in Sedlacek's glove.
     
    38:17
    After a pressure of the home team, there comes a powerplay for visitors. Michal Dvorak (PLZ) was sent out for slashing.
     
    38:46
    Honejsek got into the zone with some nice moves on puck, but his shot didn't even hit the target.
     
    39:26
    Nice save by Mazanec again. Face-off in the Plzen zone.
     
    39:30
    Petr Leska (ZLN) got a minor penalty for interference. The game will continue 4 on 4.
     
    40:00
    2nd period finished.
     
    Plzen managed to equalize thanks to a good offensive work of Balej. His effort brought a goal as Tesarik didn't manage to get him out of the crease. Both sides had a chance to take the lead, but none of them succeeded, so we're going to the final period with an even score 1:1. Both teams will also start with four men on ice.
     
    40:01
    3rd period began.
     
    40:46
    Marusak's shot saved by Sedlacek's pads. Plzen's playing a powerplay at the moment.
     
    41:30
    Visiting team at full strength.
     
    41:51
    Sedlacek rather covered the puck in front of some forechecking forwards.
     
    42:15
    Goal for Plzen! MILAN GULAS got in front of Sedlacek and completed a turnover with a precise backhanded finish. 2:1! Assists: Tomas Vlasak, Martin Straka.
     
    43:06
    Tesarik's slap shot stopped by Mazanec.
     
    43:16
    Sedlacek covered the puck after a long shot.
     
    43:35
    Filip Cech (ZLN) got a minor penalty for hooking.
     
    44:16
    Balej lost his balance and visitors cleared the zone.
     
    44:40
    Huge scoring chance for Kratena, who appeared alone in front of Sedlacek and had plenty of time for a finish. However, he just put the puck into Sedlacek's glove.
     
    45:25
    Great defensive job from St. Pierre, who blocked away Linhart's attempt.
     
    45:35
    Visiting team at full strength.
     
    45:55
    Mazanec wasn't able to hold the slap shot from the blueline, but he at least managed to stop it on its way towards the net.
     
    46:59
    Balej found Kovar with his pass behind the goal, but Sedlacek was well prepared and stopped the one-timer, that followed.
     
    45:55
    Time-out for the home team.
     
    47:38
    Another save by Mazanec, who's doing a great job today.
     
    48:49
    Johnson went alone against Honejsek, who managed to push him away and stopped him on boards.
     
    49:56
    Another puck is heading behind the visiting goal as the Indians now focus on defense.
     
    50:28
    Goal for Plzen! Plzen took a two-goal lead, when MILAN GULAS escaped the defenders on the right side and sent the puck towards the goal. Martin Straka was skating right in front of Sedlacek, who saw nothing and let the puck in. 3:1! Assists: Tomas Vlasak, Jiri Marusak.
     
    51:30
    Kratena's shot was stopped by Sedlacek, who had a little trouble catching the puck. However, he had a lot of time.
     
    52:45
    Good work by Jerabek in defense. However, the visitors stay on puck.
     
    53:30
    Filip Cech (ZLN) and Nicholas Johnson (PLZ) obtained 2 minutes each for a mutual small fight.
     
    53:40
    Goal for Plzen! Fourth goal of the home team probably secured the win. MARTIN STRAKA got a nice crossing pass from Gulas and put it into the net with a hard and accurate one-timer. 4:1! Assist: Gulas.
     
    54:45
    Tesarik released a slap shot from the circles, but Mazanec stood well and caught the puck on his chest.
     
    55:30
    Both teams are playing at full strength.
     
    56:06
    Goal for Zlin!
    The visitors pull one down with an agressive finish by ZDENEK OKAL, who tapped the puck in after Melenovsky's shot. 4:2! Assists: Marek Melenovsky, Martin Matejicek.
     
    57:36
    Zlin tries to get into the zone to score the third one.
     
    58:11
    Face-off in front of Mazanec.
     
    58:50
    Kovar did an excellent job in the offensive zone, since he stood strong against three hits from the visitors and even sent his captain into a scoring chance. However, Straka hit Sedlacek.
     
    59:54
    Marusak's hard slap shot hit the side net of Sedlacek's goal.
     
    60:00
    Game over.
     
    The third period belonged to the home team, which scored three times. Milan Gulas scored twice, one goal was then added by a Plzen captain, Martin Straka. The visitors only managed to pull one down, thanks to Zdenek Okal, who found a puck under Mazanec and sent it into the net with a rebound. However, that was the last goal of the match, so the home team took all three points. (16:26:42)
    Commentary by

    Marek Kratochvíl

    CZ@marekratochvil

    Goals & lineups Match log
    Goals and assists: 34. Balej (Kovar, Kratena), 43. Gulas (Vlasak, Straka), 51. Gulas (Vlasak, Marusak), 54. Straka (Gulas) - 12. Balastik (Leska, Köhler), 57. Okal (Melenovsky, Matejicek)

    HC Pilsen: Mazanec – Frolo, Jerabek, St. Pierre, Lev, Marusak, Ruzicka, Mozik, Bohac, Balej, Kratena, Vlasak, Straka, Kasparik, Kovar, Hollweg, Dvorak, Havlicek, Gulas, Johnson, Pletka
    Berani Zlín: Sedlacek – Tesarik, Reznicek, Matejicek, Urbanec, Linhart, Senkerik, Hamrlik, Horak, Köhler, Cech, Cajanek, Leska, Kubis, Honejsek, Slahar, Melenovsky, Holik, Vesely, Okal, Balastik
    Referees: Pesina, Sindler – Pouzar, Badal