Oceláři Třinec were in a tight spot. After being shut out in their first two Group D games in Lahti and Minsk, they were trailing 3-0 in the second period at home to the Lahti Pelicans. Another loss would put their chances of advancing to the playoffs in serious jeopardy. They needed a spark. They needed a goal.
They were pressing late in the period and had a two-man advantage. Coach Václav Varaďa pulled the goalie for an extra attacker to give the team a 6-on-3 numerical advantage. Late in the period, there was a faceoff in the Lahti zone. Defenceman Tomáš Kundrátek was lined up at the top of the circle.
“In the beginning we cycled in their zone a lot, and that’s how the penalties came and we got a 5-on-3,” said Kundrátek. “Tomáš Marcinko won the draw and it came right out to me. I think there was eight seconds left so I just put it at the net and it was a nice goal.”
In the third period, the floodgates opened. Třinec completely dominated and scored four more goals to win 5-3. The win puts them right back in the thick of things.
“I think it was a really good game,” he said. “The first period wasn’t the best but in the second and third we came out really hard and stuck to our system, and it paid off. It was a great job.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s game against Yunost Minsk, Kundrátek said: “It’s going to be the same. They’re going to play hard, we’re going to play hard. We just need to stay out the box and play smart hockey.”