It's the dream that every hockey player has a a child (and some fans too) - score the winner that gives your team the gold.
For GKS Tychy, and Polish national team, forward Filip Komorski, that dream came true in dramatic style in this season's Playoff Finals. With his side 3-2 up the series, he hit the overtime winner as his side defeated Katowice 2-1 to win the championship. "That was a great moment. I think it's every player's dream to score the OT game-winner for a championship," said Komorski of the goal. "I couldn't believe it until my teammates jumped on me, and I woke up!"
"It was also something new for me because this is my first championship," added the 26-year-old. "Since the beginning of May last year we've been training hard for this. In the regular season we only lost one game in regulation time, We had a great team here and deserved the championship in my opinion."
We hosted the Continental Cup... it's great having fans from other cities"Filip Komorski
Tychy's joy at this season's victory was also fueled by memories of the past two seasons. The side lost in the finals in both of the previous two seasons, both in game sevens, to Cracovia. " It was extremely hard," he explained. "We had several changes in the locker room, including a new coach. The hardest thing to change is the mental aspect, but we did and won."
While Komorski has 22 caps for the Polish national team, and 15 appearances in the Continental Cup, qualification marks another step up. "It's new for us, because most of our team has never competed in the CHL," said the Warsaw native. "I hope it will be a great adventure similar to the Continental Cup, but on a higher level. I am also looking forward to comparing ourselves with the best teams in Europe."
What of Tychy itself? "We have a very nice stadium, one of the best in Poland. It might not be as large as some other clubs but it has everything we need in it. We hosted the Continental cup twice and it was great having fans from other cities come and experience not just the arena, but the city and all it has to offer. We really believe our great fans contribute in our success" he added.