The Czech hockey players won 2:1 in Brno over Austria and won the sixth game in the Euro Hockey Challenge in the final preparation for the World Championships in Riga and Tampere.
After Thursday’s 0:6 debacle in Vienna, the Austrians played a much more balanced game. They led from the 8th minute after a goal by defender Steven Strong, but before the middle of the second period, Filip Chlapík equalized in a power play and David Tomášek turned the score around at 51:15.
Coach Kari Jalonen’s team will meet in Brno again on Monday and from Thursday to Sunday they will play duels with Finland, Sweden and Switzerland in the warm-up for the championship at the Czech Games. They will enter the WC on Friday, May 12 in Riga with a match against Slovakia.
Wofl offered the Czech team a power play in the 3rd minute with a foul, but the Austrians had a chance. After Košťálk’s hesitation behind the goal, Romig skated in front of Hrubec, but the Czech goalkeeper intervened. Jalonen’s team did not use the numerical advantage, because Kickert covered Sobotka’s chance and Sedlák did not succeed either.
Subsequently, there was a fight between Sobotka and Reinbacher and Kaut and Strong. Immediately, the Austrian goalkeeper intervened even against the lone Flek, who promptly found the German and his shot was blocked by Kickert with his left hand.
At 7:57 a.m. the Austrians, on the other hand, rejoiced at the lead. Neubauer found Strong from the right guard, who beat Hrubec from a position between the circles with a shot on the jumper. Kickert dealt with Tomášk’s wound.
In the 13th minute, the game was interrupted due to a hole in the ice near the goalpost, and the rest of the first period was completed only after a break, which was extended by another ten minutes due to freezing of the problem area. In the final part of the opening period, Tomášek had another chance, but Kickert intervened again.
After the change of sides, the Czechs created an onslaught, Hyka tried to equalize, and when Nickl was sent off, Sedlák or Chlapík. On the other hand, Nickl missed from a three-to-one renumbering after returning from the penalty box and then failed alone in front of Hrubec Feldner. Not even Kučeřík managed to equalize, who shot over after Tomášek’s pass.
The loss was erased by Jalonen’s selection in the 28th minute on the power play when Kraus was sent off. After the combination of Lence and Černoch, Chlapík hit the exposed part of the goal near the near post from the right circle. The Austrians didn’t make it through Beránek’s penalty and were then held by Kickert. Hyka wrecked on him and during a one-minute five-on-three power play after fouls by Ganahl and Kirchschläger, he deflected Sedlák’s shot and made another great save on Chlapík’s stop.
Right at the beginning of the third part, Chlapík had another opportunity, but the Austrians continued to resist. They defended themselves even during Schwinger’s stay on the penalty bench. Tomášek and Šcotek then had other good shooting positions, who did not score, but made up for it in the 52nd minute. Ščotka found Tomášek ideally in front of the goal area and this time Kickert already capitulated.
With Košťálk’s exclusion, the Austrians did not succeed, on the contrary, Sedlák had a chance after Flek’s pass in a weakened state. In the final power play of the Austrians, the situation did not change.
Euro Hockey Challenge in Brno:
Czech Republic – Austria 2:1 (0:1, 1:0, 1:0)
Goals and assists: 28. Chlapík (Černoch, Lenc), 52. Tomášek (Ščotka, L. Sedlák) – 8. Strong (Neubauer, Ganahl). Referee: Jeřábek, Hejduk – Lhotský, J. Svoboda. Exclusion: 4:8. Usage: 1:0. Viewers: 3392.
Czech Republic Hrubec – Kempný, S. Svozil, Košťálek, T. Dvořák, Ščotka, Jordán, Kučerík, Němeček – Tomášek, Sobotka, Chlapík – Hyka, L. Sedlák, M. Kaut – Lenc, M. Kovařčík, Flek – O. Beránek , Černoch, H. Zohorna. Coach: K. Jalonen.
Rakousko: Kickert – Reinbacher, Strong, Zündel, Lindner, Nickl, B. Wolf, Kirchschläger, Wimmer – Neubauer, Haudum, Ganahl – Thaler, Baltram, Huber – Feldner, Achermann, Schwinger – Kraus, Maxa, Romig. Trener: Bader.
