Kladno hockey players outclassed the local Rams 7:1 in Zlín in the third match of the tie for the extra league, they lead 3:0 in the series and are one win away from retaining the extra league. Today’s clear victory was decided by the Knights with four goals in the first period. Tomáš Plekanec scored twice. The fourth match will be played on Friday from 5:30 p.m. again in Zlín.
The home winner of the first league did not succeed at all in the tactical plan to put the opponent under pressure, force an advantage and take the lead in the match for the first time in the series. The Zlín game was dominated by nervousness and the resulting errors. In the 4th minute, when the Rams had a numerical advantage, the experienced Plekanec escaped and did not give Huf a chance after a solo.
The Knights built a quick lead on the power play: they built pressure and capitalized on it with another goal as Filip stepped up to score the first power play goal of the series.
Even in the rest of the first period, the visitors dominated, who skated better, combined and, above all, used windows in the leaky Zlín defense. Kladen added two more easy goals within 48 seconds.
The four-goal lead after the overwhelming superiority and collapse of the Rams in the opening twenty minutes, in which the ratio of shots was 1:21, did not change the course of the rest of the game. The home team did not wake up in the cabin and after 62 seconds conceded the fifth goal from the stick of Ticháček. Goalkeeper Huf couldn’t take it anymore, and even though he didn’t have a share in the conceded goals, he was replaced by Kořének.
Zlín struggled especially with his own psyche and had a hard time finding a recipe for a relaxed game for the Knights, in whose first formation, with a five-goal lead, Jágr left the place to the thirteenth striker Brodecke.
In this constellation, the Knights used their second power play, Zikmund blocked Klepiš’s shot from close range. Only then did the home team threaten Brízgal’s sanctuary. Kindl missed from close range and Sedlák hit the post. But another blunder in the defense made it easier for Plekanec to score his second goal in this match.
In the third period, Zlín was no longer entitled to any at least partial dramatization of a clear game, rather he was looking for partial fragments in himself, with which he could think about a better result in Friday’s fourth duel. The Zlín fans were at least partially happy with the goal of Petr Kratochvíl, who remains the Rams’ only scorer in the play-off.
After ten previous home wins in the playoffs, the Zlín team failed for the first time in front of their own audience this year. Kladno won the fifth of the last seven matches between them.
Playoff for hockey extra league – 3rd match:
PSG Berani Zlín – Knights Kladno 1:7 (0:4, 0:3, 1:0)
Goals and assists: 55. Kratochvíl (P. Mrázek, Z. Sedlák) – 4. Plekanec (Kubík), 7. Filip (Slováček, Veber), 18. Pytlík (Klepiš, Zikmund), 19. Indrák (Kubík, Plekanec) , 22. Ticháček (Filip, M. Procházka), 32. Zikmund (Ticháček, Klepiš), 40. Plekanec. Referee: Hradil, Mrkva – Lederer, Axman. Exclusion: 5:2. Usage: 1:2. Weakness: 0:1. Spectators: 7000 (sold out). Series status: 0:3.
Zlín: Huf (22. Kořének) – Gazda, Husa, M. Zboril, M. Novotný, Riedl, Suhrada, Burian – Köhler, Sadovikov, Kubiš – Z. Sedlák, D. Kindl, Kratochvíl – P. Mrázek, P. Sedláček , M. Lang – T. Pospíšil, Hejcman, Heš. Coach: M. Říha.
Kladno: Brízgala – Babka, Cibulskis, Veber, Slováček, Sotnieks, Ticháček – Jágr, Plekanec, Kubík – Indrák, Klepiš, M. Procházka – Zikmund, Filip, Michnáč – M. Beran, Pytlík, O. Bláha – Brodecki. Coach: Vejvoda.
