Vítkovice Ridera picked up their third win of the 2023/24 Champions Hockey League season against a resilient EHC Biel-Bienne side that pushed them throughout the entire game. The home side may have been the more active team on the night but as the game timer started counting down the final three minutes, the Czechs were still 2-3 down.
"This was a good win for us and an important +2 points," said Vítkovice's Jakub Kotala, "after a long stretch of games against Extraliga clubs it was nice to face a foreign team."
What's different in the way a Czech team and a foreign opponent play?
"It seemed to me that Biel-Bienne wanted to play on the puck and attack more than we are used to," he noted.
Kotala scored two goals in the game. His first, a nice breakaway just 60 seconds in, set the tone for this thrilling contest. His second came in the second period where he himself had plenty of chances to add another in his very first game of the season for the club. Was he sad he missed out on the hattrick?
"Yeah I had a lot of chances but no, I'm not disappointed," he said.
Despite the win in the end, the game could have gone either way in overtime, especially after Vítkovice dropped a 2-0 lead and had to score a late equaliser to get back into the game.
"This will boost our confidence"Jakub Kotala, Vítkovice Ridera
"Heading out for the third period we were focused on keeping our 2-1 lead, that didn't work out unfortunately," he said, noting that Biel-Bienne were back in the game just four minutes into the final frame.
"We have generally been struggling with third-period play so we are extra happy to have won in the end."
Vítkovice sit dead last in the Czech Extraliga standings having won just two of their last nine games. Can beating the National League runners-up be a turning point for them?
"We hope so," started Kotala, "I think this will boost our confidence as we prepare for our next games."