Czech Extraliga 2011-2012 Review: Part 3

The champions, and those so close.


Thus begins the concluding part of my look back on the season that was, featuring the two sides which fell at the semi final stage, as well as both finalists, including the champions.


HC Plzeň 1929
Regular season result: 2nd place (99 points)
Playoff quarter-final result: Defeated PSG Zlín in seven games.
Playoff semi-final result: Lost to HC Kometa Brno in five games in the semi-finals.

So close, yet so far once again for Martin Straka
Photo: Milan Podpera, hcplzen.cz

So near, and yet again so far for Martin Straka's men. The team which has been the most successful in the regular season over the last three years once again crashed out of the playoffs before having a chance to play for the Extraliga trophy. Straka must think by now that he, or his team, are cursed, as the great hockey that they seem to play in the regular season always disappears come the post-season. Still, at least the team went one better this year, and managed to make it out of the quarter-finals. Plzeň were the top seeds in the semi-finals due to the elimination of top seeds HC Sparta Praha, and faced off against an eighth seed full of confidence in Kometa, who then put Plzeň to the sword, taking the first three games of the series, and eventually winning in five games. On seeing their playoff performances, few could believe that Plzeň were the team that were running Sparta so close for the regular season title in January. Through the festive period, Straka's team went on a twelve game winning streak, not least helped by the form of Radek Duda. The journeyman forward, who had spent the previous two seasons bouncing around the 1.liga came back with a bang. During Plzeň's fine form, he netted 16 points in the month of January, helping his team climb to the top of the table. However, as the season progressed, Duda's form began to dip, reflecting his teams drop in play. Plzeň closed the season winning just three of their last ten games, and the two week rest period whilst the play-ins were conducted did nothing to turn around the team's run of form, as despite winning their quarter-final against Zlin, they looked less than impressive. Duda, who finished as the second top point scorer in the Extraliga with 59 points struggled to replicate his form in the playoffs, picking up just 7 points in the 12 games his side played, and the same could be said of his team-mates. Václav Pletka and Ondřej Kratěna both underperformed in the playoffs, failing to continue their fine scoring pace in the post-season. 22 year old forward Jan Kovář could well be excused from scathing criticism, as the promising young forward had his best season so far, scoring 51 points and forming a lethal partnership with Duda. Kovář managed 8 points in the playoffs, but even that wasn't enough to help his team reach the final. Plzeň were the top scoring team in the Extraliga regular season in 2011-2012, mainly thanks to the high scoring Duda and Kovář, but another name that should not be overlooked is that of Martin Straka himself. Despite doing almost every job behind the scenes at Plzeň, he still proved to be a quality player at the Extraliga level, even at 39 years of age. A 47 point regular season, combined with a team high 13 points in the playoffs showed that he's still the knack of scoring points, and could explain why he's signed up to play at least one more season on the ice. It was a surprise not to see Tomáš Vlasák at the top of the scorers charts this season. The 37 year old forward, who bagged a 68 point season in 2010-2011 struggled with injuries throughout 2011-2012, which limited him to only 18 regular season games, and meant that he was never able to reach his top form in the playoffs. Vlasák, who was Plzeň's top scorer for the previous for seasons was a big gap to fill on the forward lines, not least due to his almost telepathic chemistry with Martin Stráka. The one thing that stopped Plzeň from reaching top spot in the table was their defensive performance, which really should have done better, considering the big name talent it possessed. Featuring former NHLer František Kaberle, Jiří Vykoukal, Jiří Marušák, Jiří Hanzlík, and even Jaroslav Modry, who came out of retirement for the final part of the season, Plzeň had some of the best defencemen of the Extraliga era on their roster. Albeit, aging defencemen, as all of the players listed above were in their mid to late thirties (except Modry, who is now 41!). Perhaps the rigours of a long regular season were simply too much for the veterans to handle, although it's fair to say that Adam Svoboda struggled to reach his best form playing in the Plzeň net. The veteran netminder, who has one championship ring to his name with Slavia, was solid, but unspectacular, and unspectacular doesn't win you championships. He was far outplayed by Jiří Trvaj in the semi-finals, and numerous times he was left to sit on the bench, as young back-up Marek Mazanec took to the ice. 

So the playoffs came around with Plzeň really struggling to find their best form, and play-in qualifiers Zlín took them to seven games, with forward Nicholas Johnson scoring the series winning goal late in the third period of the final game. The semi-final saw them up against HC Kometa Brno, who were the form team going into the semis following their victory over title favourites HC Sparta Praha in the quarter-finals. However, two and a half minutes into Game 1, you could be forgiven for thinking that Kometa simply got lucky against Sparta. Goals by Johnson and defenceman Dan Růžička gave Plzeň a 2:0 lead in no time at all. The tide began to turn though, and despite Johnson getting his second in the middle frame, Kometa would score twice in the remaining two periods, with Jakub Svoboda scoring the winning goal with five and a half minutes to go in the game. So Plzeň had lost the home ice advantage, but now it was imperative to not lose both games at home. One man would not hear a word of it though. Jiří Trvaj was in imperious form in Game 2, making all 28 saves as Kometa shut out the previously free scoring Plzeň, with Róbert Petrovický getting the only goal in the third frame. The series moved to the Czech Republic's second city, and once again, Trvaj was at his best. Kometa were outshot 32:18, but Trvaj stopped all 32 shots as Kometa took a second 1:0 victory in a row. Plzeň were on the verge of getting swept, which many would have thought preposterous at the start of the playoffs. Pavel Vostřák scored two minutes into Game 4, finally snapping Trvaj's shutout streak after the veteran keeper shut up shop for 152 minutes in succession. Plzeň would be spared the blushes of getting swept by Kometa, as they took Game 4 by a score of 3:2, but Game 5 would be the end of the line. Plzeň went with Marek Mazanec in goal for the fifth game, but the young goalie lasted only five minutes, as Kometa scored three times in that spell. Plzeň were humiliated in front of their home fans, as Kometa thrashed them 7:2, leaving a forlorn Martin Straka looking crushed on the bench in the final few minutes of the game. It was another playoff collapse for Plzeň, and Straka must believe that his luck will turn sooner rather than later.


Player of the season: Radek Duda
This was a really difficult one, as it's sometimes unfair just to pick the player that scored the most goals. However, after a turbulent career, and countless teams, it seems that Duda really began to find his groove in Plzeň. The bad boy of Czech hockey, Duda polarises opinion, and it's fair to say, has a pretty big ego on his shoulders. The now 33 year old had his best season points wise so far, and although he has yet to decide on where he will be playing for next season, it's inconceivable to think that he'll end up back in the 1.liga. Duda disappointed in the playoffs, but against the defensive juggernaut that Kometa were in the playoffs, the blame can't fall squarely at his feet. Duda has talent in abundance, and maybe Stráka was finally the man to direct that talent and aggression in the right direction.






Bílí Tygři Liberec
Regular season result: 4th place (84 points)
Playoff quarter-final result: Defeated České Budějovice in five games. 
Playoff semi-final result: Lost to HC Pardubice in six games.

Extraliga player of the year Petr Nedvěd was
nigh on impossible in 2011-2012
Photo: Petr Zbranek, fotozbranek.cz

It could just as easily say "Petr Nedvěd" for the team name for Liberec. The veteran forward scored almost twice as many points as anyone else on his team, and the 40 year old captain was the integral cog in Liberec reaching the playoff semi-finals. The White Tigers, who showed flashes of brilliance alongside puzzling results had a fair season, finishing in a respectable fourth position in the regular season. They could have finished higher if they hadn't have gone on an eight game losing skid in December, which saw them go from regular season championship contenders to looking over their shoulder towards the play-ins. However, the side managed to recover, and ensure that they would go into the quarter-finals with home ice advantage, where they dispatched of České Budějovice in five games, before going down to Pardubice after winning two of the first three games in the series. As has been touched on, there were simply not enough superlatives for Petr Nedvěd in 2011-2012, who had his best season since returning to the Extraliga in 2007. Injuries have hampered his progress in his five years back in the Czech Republic, but a 55 point season in 2010-2011 was followed up by a league high 61 points in last season's campaign. He played his way into the Czech Republic national squad, representing his country for the first time since the 1996 World Cup, and helped the Czech side to their second consecutive bronze medal at the World Championships. It was clear that Nedvěd was the key player to shutdown when facing Liberec, and he was put under all sorts of pressure in the playoffs, but shone in the later games of the České Budějovice series, scoring twice in both Games 4 and 5 to lead Liberec over the top. However, he wasn't so prolific against Pardubice, who managed for the most part, to keep a lid on his scoring talent. Nedvěd had one assist and a -4 rating in the final two games against Pardubice, whilst he only managed to find the back of the net once in the series, which came in the Game 1 victory. Nedvěd was inspired in 2011-2012, and whilst he did have some assistance from his teammates, on the whole, it was lacking. Jaroslav Kudrna and Milan Bartovič comprised the secondary threat for Liberec, and no doubt an injury to Bartovič which saw him miss nearly twenty games hindered Liberec's progress. Kudrna put up another 30+ point season, but he has never really been able to recapture his scoring touch which he possessed for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the RSL and KHL. Both found their form drop in the playoffs, as they were unable to break into double figures for points in the playoffs. Below their first line, Liberec had very little to shout about. Tomáš Vak had a rotten season compared to previous seasons, whilst Lukáš Vantuch, Tomáš Urban, Antonín Dušek and Daniel Špaček struggled to find consistent form throughout the season. There was some optimism in the Liberec camp, as two young forwards began to establish themselves in the lineup as Michal Bulíř and Lukáš Krajíček both impressed on their first full seasons in the Extraliga, with the former shooting to prominence following a hatrick in Game 1 of the quarter-final series against České Budějovice. In Marek Trončinský, Liberec possessed the most productive defenceman in the Extraliga, and although the defensive side of his game often leaves a fair bit to be desired, his 28 points from the blueline proved invaluable to Liberec, and he will be sorely missed next season, as he makes the jump to the KHL to play for Yugra. Defensively the White Tigers were average. Martin Čakajík had an impressive playoffs after having a disappointing regular season, whilst the duo of Jan Holub and Lukáš Derner were able to log up big minutes on the blueline. Liberec went into the season with Marek Pinc as their #1, which was surprising after his awful performance in the playoffs the season before. However, the often temperamental goalie had a fairly solid season. Statistically he was the third best goalie who had played over thirty games, with a .928 save percentage, and he especially in the first half of Liberec's playoff run, composed and played well. It was a bit of a netminding merry go round in the series against Pardubice, as Pinc started Game 1, only to be replaced by 22 year old Tomáš Vošvrda in Game 2. The flashpoint game in Game 6, where Pinc flew off the handle after his side had an awful first period. Pinc conceded three goals on 12 shots in the opening 17 minutes. He would go on to play Game 6, only to then seemingly pull himself after the second period with Pardubice 3:0 up. Strange times indeed!


After their relative dominance (in Extraliga terms) against České Budějovice, the series against Pardubice was shaping up to be a very intriguing one. With Game 1 in Pardubice, Liberec played one of their best games of the playoffs. Jaroslav Kudrna scored a hatrick, whilst Jan Víšek had three assists as Liberec took the first game by a score of 5:3, taking home advantage away from Pardubice. Game 2 saw Pardubice blow away Liberec in the second period, scoring three goals to take a strangehold of the second game of the series, with the game finishing 4:2 to the hosts. The series moved back to Liberec, and in front of a raucous home crowd, Liberec once again took the lead in the series. Jaroslav Kudrna, after being held pointless in the first five playoff games, was proving to be Pardubice's achilles heel, as he scored a first period brace against his former club. Kudrna's efforts were all Liberec needed on the goals front in Game 3, as Pinc made 30 saves to take a close game by a 2:1 scoreline. Game 4 in Liberec was the White Tigers' chance to take a hold of the series, but they were undone by Pardubice's scoring depth. Two second period goals by Václav Kočí and Lukáš Radil helped Pardubice on their way to a 3:1 victory, levelling the series at two, and giving Pardubice home ice advantage once again. Game 5 was a real turn up for the books, as Pardubice dominated the game from start to finish. The home side scored four times in the first period, with Radíl and Petr Koukal both scoring two goals as Pardubice romped to an 8:1 win, which knocked the stuffing out of Liberec, who could never really rebound from such a crushing loss, as they slumped to a 4:2 loss in Game 6 of the series, which saw them knocked out of contention. It was strange to see how it all suddenly went so wrong for Liberec. Pardubice's superior scoring depth no doubt was a key factor in their defeat of Liberec, but as champions often do, Pardubice were able to find that extra gear when they were in trouble, which helped them over the challenge of Nedvěd and his White Tigers.


Player of the season - Petr Nedvěd
A no-brainer here, as the veteran forward had his best season on home soil and the Extraliga player of the year will surely be the player of the season for his team. Leading the league in points with a whopping 61, Nedvěd rolled back the years and arguably displayed form reminiscent to his NHL glory days for Liberec, and they will be delighted that they managed to secure his services for the upcoming season, fighting off the temptations of retirement or the jump to Lev Praha in the KHL. Nedvěd's knack of finding the net, plus his poise on the puck are arguably unmatched in the Extraliga today, and it will be no surprise if he is at the top of the scoring charts in 2012-2013, that's of course if his body can stand up to a full season of regular season play.




HC Kometa Brno
Regular season result: 8th place (75 points)
Playoff qualification result: Defeated HC Kladno in three games.
Playoff quarter-final result: Defeated HC Sparta Praha in six games.
Playoff semi-final result: Defeated Bili Tygri Liberec in six games
Playoff final result: Lost to HC Pardubice in six games. 

Extraliga runners up Kometa Brno
impressed with their play in this years playoffs
Photo: Michal Eger, hc-kometa.cz

Where do you start with Kometa Brno? Their Cinderella story was only two victories away from a perfect ending, but after a miraculous playoff run, it finally came to an end in the final. This was the first time that Kometa had made the playoffs since their return to the Extraliga in 2009, and they certainly made their mark, cementing their position in the Extraliga after two years of flirting with relegation. Kometa's season was full of winning runs followed by losing skids. The team got off to an average start, but an 8:2 hammering by Kladno threatened to derail their season in the early stages. Kometa went on a terrible run of one win in nine games which stretched from October to November, and the team were always dangling between the play-in and play-out places. However, as the year turned, the team began to find some form, going on a fine run of 13 wins in 15 games to cushion the gap between themselves and the relegation fodder. The team couldn't lift themselves up into the top six after three straight losses to close out the season, but considering they had finished in 12th and 11th in their two previous Extraliga seasons, there were clear signs of progress. Kometa went into the play-ins facing a Kladno side who they had mixed fortunes against in the regular season. Both teams won twice, with both of Kometa's victories being 1:0 shutouts. Buoyed by their raucous home support, Kometa managed to defeat the resurgent Kladno side, sweeping the play-in thanks mainly to Tomáš Divíšek, who had six points in the three games. Divíšek, who joined Kometa on loan from Swiss side Davos in the second half of the season was in inspired form in the playoffs, and eventually finished as the top point scorer in the post-season. He had 17 points in 26 regular season games after joining the Brno side, but he was arguably back to his best in the playoffs. Divíšek has always been an enigma. The big bodied forward seems to have all the talent in the world to go far, but often is never able to put it all together on the night. 26 points in 20 playoff games has put his name back on the map as one of the premier Extraliga forwards; although Kometa will be hoping that his form wasn't just a flash in the pan. Divíšek's main partners in crime in the playoffs were Jakub Svoboda and Leoš Čermák. Jakub Svoboda had a break out season in 2011-2012, and the 22 year old went from a bottom six grafter to a top line forward in the space of a year. He had 7 goals and 8 assists in the playoffs, benefitting greatly from the experience of players such as Čermák. Now 34 years of age, Čermák has split the majority of his career between the Extraliga and the Russian top divisions, and after a poor season with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, Čermák returned to the Czech Republic with Kometa. He impressed with 33 points in the regular season, but his clutch performances in the playoffs were key Kometa's miraculous run. He also picked up 15 points. Kometa's scoring depth could not compete with Pardubice's in the end, and part of the reason for this was the loss of regular season top scorer Miroslav Holec, who after picking up 37 points in the regular season was unable to play more than five games in the playoffs. Holec, who has bounced between the Extraliga and 1.liga for the past five seasons broke into life after finally leaving Slavia. The 24 year old centre had never scored more than five points in an Extraliga season before moving to Brno. However, another Slavia product had another solid playoff performance, as Tomáš Svoboda, who shone in Slavia's run to the semi-finals last season sparkled once again after moving to Kometa mid season. He bagged eight goals for Kometa, highlighting that he is arguably one of the premier playoff producers in the Extraliga at present. Kometa were able to outshoot their opponents in the majority of their playoff games, which was in part due to the brilliant defensive system orchestrated by head coach Zdeněk Venera and anchored by Extraliga veterans Tomáš Žižka, Radim Bičánek, Jiří Vašíček and Tomáš Malec, whilst Slovak defenceman Jozef Kováčik impressed after joining from Slovak Extraliga side Nitra. However, a solid defensive unit needs a top quality goalie, and despite now being 38 years of age, Jiří Trvaj rolled back the years and provided his team with some outstanding goaltending, especially in the playoffs. He kept a 152 minute shutout streak in the semi finals against Liberec, whilst he only conceded three goals in the final three games of the quarter-final series against Sparta. Trvaj, who spent the previous two seasons competing with Finnish netminder Sasu Hovi for the starters jersey outplayed his counterpart towards the end of the season, and despite getting off to a slow start against Kladno in the play-ins, he ended up starting each playoff game for his side. Trvaj gave his team every chance to win in the playoffs, but by the end of the final series he ran out of steam, as Pardubice scored a combined 11 goals in Games 5 and 6 to seal their championship victory.

Jiří Trvaj celebrates the victory
over Sparta Praha in the quarter-final
Photo: Michal Eger hc-kometa.cz

Kometa's series' against Kladno, Sparta and Liberec have been covered in more detail in the respective teams reviews, whilst the final will be covered in Pardubice's section. After a brave fight, where Kometa won Games 2 and 3, Pardubice unlocked the secret to defeating Kometa, winning the final three games of the series. Kometa's run, which was seized upon with fervour in the Czech Republic's second city was a joy to watch, and the emotion and spirit they played the game in was palpable. Whilst it was not Kometa's year, they have shown that are now a true player in the Extraliga, and as their progress continues, they will rise further up the table, and you would not put it past them to have their name inscribed on the championship trophy within the next decade.

Player of the season - Jiří Trvaj
This was perhaps the most difficult choice I've made so far. Miroslav Holec was the star in the regular season, but his injury woes excluded him from the playoffs, whilst Tomáš Divíšek only joined the team half way through the season, despite his incredible playoff performances. Therefore, I found it fair to go with veteran netminder Jiří Trvaj as my player of the season for Kometa. No doubt his teams system helped him,  but Trvaj was back to his best, reminiscent of his days as Znojmo's top talent in 2004-2006. His incredible performances against Liberec were the toast of the town, as he was only beaten by feared scorer Petr Nedvěd once in six games, whilst he kept Sparta's feared line of Ton-Bližňák-Tenkrát under wraps for the majority of the series. Trvaj doesn't have many more yewars ahead of him, but with another fine team assembled around him, who's to say that he can't play as he did in the playoffs again. Of course, the team will need another quality goalie beside him, because fatigue will eventually set in, which is why Kometa have brought in Martin Falter, who has been around the block before. So despite the fine scoring form of Divíšek, in my opinion, Trvaj was Kometa's player of the season.







HC Pardubice
Regular season result: 3rd place (86 points)
Playoff quarter-final result:  Defeated HC Vitkovice Steel in seven games
Playoff semi-final result: Defeated Bílí Tygři Liberec in six games
Playoff final result: Defeated HC Kometa Brno in six games

Jan Kolář was part of Pardubice's feared 1-2
punch alongside Petr Koukal
Photo: Jan Jedlička, hcpce.cz

Pardubice were the team that eventually hoisted the Extraliga crown, after a thrilling series with Kometa, it was the Bohemian side who won their second title in three years. A team that was somewhat inconsistent all season managed to turn on the heat when it mattered, as they came back from series deficits in all three of their post-season match-ups in order to take overall victory. It was testament to a side which may not have shown up every night, but when everyone came to the party, Pardubice were simply unstoppable. They were able to bounce back from a 6:1 loss against Vitkovice in Game 6 of the quarter-final series, only to win Game 7, as well as coming back from 2:1 down in both the semi-final and final. Pardubice only managed to finish third in the regular season, as their inconsistent form hindered them from going on the long winning runs that their rivals at the top of the table were able to do, but whilst they were not able to pick up a big run of wins on the spin, they were able to prevent themselves from going on long losing skids. It's difficult where to start with Pardubice, as the one thing that they did better than any other side in the Extraliga this year was the ability to get a goal from every single one of their forward lines. At the top of the order it was a familiar story, as club captain Petr Koukal and Jan Kolář both topped the clubs scoring charts with 51 points each. Koukal and Kolář both enjoyed their most productive seasons to date, and Kolář especially shone, scoring 26 goals which was the second most in the Extraliga this season behind Karlovy Vary's Petr Kumstát. Koukal is one of the most complete players in the Extraliga, as the 29 year old centre is adept at both ends of the rink, and his hard working nature made him one of the most highly prized Extraliga players this off-season. However, the championship win in 2011-2012 will be the last time these two don a Pardubice jersey  at least for the time being, as both players have signed with Neftekhimik Nizhekamsk in the KHL, where they will be hopeful that their form will continue in the second best league in the world. However, Pardubice have been able to keep a hold of arguably their best player in the playoffs, as Slovak forward Martin Bartek has signed with the club for 2012-2013. Bartek, who suffered an injury plagued regular season was back to his best in the playoffs, top scoring for his side with 22 points in 19 games. Bartek was a huge part of what everything Pardubice did this season, and was scoring at a fine rate before injury struck him, as he was limited to just 28 regular season games. Bartek has impressed significantly since joining from the DEL in 2010, and has consistently scored near a point per game in his two seasons for the club so far. However, it is not just about the big guns for Pardubice, because as already mentioned, their secondary scoring was superb all season. Jan Starý and Robert Buchtele led the charge from this department, scoring 31 and 28 points respectively, but Starý shone in the playoffs, bagging 13 points for joint second best on the team. Buchtele, who is still only 21 years of age, had his breakout season in the Extraliga, and although his playoff performance was somewhat lacking, he could go a long way to replacing Koukal's production next season. Also adding to the bounty were Robert Kousal, Radovan Somík, Lukáš Radil and Tomáš Zohorna with the latter shining in the post-season, where he joined a host of other Pardubice players with 13 points. Daniel Rákos was another that made a name for himself in the playoffs, as the 25 year old who has never really been able to cement an Extraliga place prior to this season burst onto the scene, scoring the series winning goal against Vitkovice in the quarter-finals, as well as four other key goals to help his team reach the trophy. However, it's not all about goal scoring, and Pardubice possessed a very strong backline and a brilliant young netminder in Martin Růžička. Růžička, who was the backup to Dominik Hašek in 2009-2010 had a somewhat disappointing regular season compared to his first year as starter the year before, but the 25 year old Pardubice native shone in the playoffs, starting all 18 games and recording a 0.928 save percentage. Leading the charge on the backend were Aleš Píša and the second Jan Kolář, with the former scoring 24 points this season, whilst contributions by Vladimír Sičák, Václav Kočí and Václav Benák went a long way to securing the Extraliga crown, especially after the departure of Jakub Nakladal mid way through the season.

Pardubice lift the title in Brno
Photo: Martin Kocourek, fotokocourek.cz

So Pardubice were extremely close to leaving the playoffs at the first hurdle, as after a back and forth series with sixth seeds Vitkovice after Daniel Rákos' 55th second overtime winner in Game 7, and this result seemed to galvanise the side and make them even stronger. They were in trouble against Liberec in the semi-final, as they lost both Games 1 and 3 before going on a tear in the final three games of the series, which included an 8:1 victory in Game 5 which really broke Liberec's resistance. This led the team on to the final, where they faced the unlikely opponents of Kometa Brno, the side who had previously defeated the first and second seeds in the playoffs. Game 1 was in Pardubice, and was a thriller of a contest. Pardubice took the lead four times in the contest, only to be pegged back at each occasion. Both teams combined for six goals in a frantic final period of regulation play, with Tomáš Žižka's game tying goal coming with four minutes to go in bizarre circumstances, as the defenceman's weak attempt from the red line went straight through Růžička's five hole. The game went to a shootout, with Sasu Hovi getting the nod for Kometa. Petr Koukal scored the first goal in the shootout in the third round of shooters, before Růžička made a stunning glove save on Leoš Čermák to win the game and make up for his previous mistake. Game 2 was also in Pardubice, and once again it was an incredible contest. Kometa seemed to have command of the game, as they were 3:1 up through two periods, which was stretched to 6:2 with eight and a half minutes to go. Few would believe that Pardubice could get back into the game, but three goals in ninety seconds turned the game completely. Goals by Píša, Jiří Cetkovsky and Jan Starý put Pardubice in it, and then Píša struck the post on a 5 on 3 powerplay with just two minutes to go. Kometa would hold on to the game, and the series was all square as it headed back to Brno. The series calmed in Brno, despite the raucous home side for the outsiders. It was a bit of a tepid affair, with Radovan Somík scoring the only goal through two periods. However, Kometa turned on the style in the final frame, scoring twice through Jakub Svoboda and Hynek Zohorna to give them a one goal lead with ten minutes to go. Trvaj made 30 saves for the home side as they took the lead in the series. Game 4 was a carbon copy of Game 3, with the game going scoreless through forty minutes. If the first two games was a showdown between the shooters, then the second pair of games was a battle of the netminders. Trvaj made 38 saves in Game 4, whilst his counterpart in the Pardubice net made 29. Jozef Balej broke the deadlock at 45 minutes for the hosts, but Martin Bartek found the twine with little over five minutes to go. The game would once again go to a shootout, with Pardubice winning once again, as Jan Kolář I. bagged the winning goal. The series went back to Pardubice all square, and once again there were goals to be had at the ČEZ Aréna. Pardubice dominated in the opening frame, scoring three times through Cetkovsky, Lukáš Nahodil and Radovan Somík, and in the second period they scored once more through Píša to get Trvaj pulled from the game. Kometa rallied back in the second period, scoring three times to send the teams into the second intermission at 4:3. However, Pardubice had too much for Kometa to handle in the final frame, as Cetkovský scored his second before Bartek added the empty netter to seal Game 5, and leave Pardubice with just one more win necessary to lift the Extraliga title. Kometa had to win on their home ice, but instead of finishing strong, they bowed out with a whimper. Starý scored six minutes in, and although defenceman Jiří Vašíček was able to reply in the dying minutes of the first frame, Pardubice were able to pull away in the second. Benák, Koukal and Zohorna found the net in the third period, to give Pardubice, who were outshot 40:25 in Game 6, a commanding lead. Kolář I. put the icing on the cake in the third period by taking the score to 5:1, which was how the game, and the season would finish, to the delight of the travelling fans, and to the dismay of the home support. Pardubice, who have been a powerhouse of the modern Czech game, once again lifted the title.


Player of the season - Petr Koukal
Another difficult call to make, but Koukal is one of my favourite Extraliga players, so there might be some bias in this listing! Koukal is your archetypical number one centre. Incredibly skilled offensively, an amazing ability to link the play between the forwards and the defence, whilst having an impeccable work rate and two way game. Koukal has been a great servant for his club over the past decade, and it's only right that he goes off to make his payday in Russia. A 51 point season with a further 9 in the playoffs all added up to make him, in my opinion, the most valuable player on the Pardubice roster, and a huge hole to fill for next season.




So there you have it folks, this long, winding journey comes to a close, and it's only right to toast what was an incredible Extraliga season, featuring thrills and spills, brilliant individual efforts, and in the end, a brilliant team performance by Pardubice to win the crown. 


With my work with Slovan, I may not have as much time as I used to to concentrate on the Czech Extraliga, which is a shame, but is a fact of life. It will still remain one of, if not, my favourite league to watch, and from a fan point of view, I'll be sure to keep tabs on Slavia's results in the coming season.


Hope you enjoyed it! A lot of work went into this!

Shootout victory for Pardubice levels the series.

(Written for EuroHockey.com).


Before I start this entry, I wanted to say a big thank you to fellow EuroHockey colleague Derek O'Brien (Follow his blog Czech Hockey Report!) for covering Game 3 in person!

Pardubice knew they had to win Game 4. If they lost they would have gone back home with a 3:1 series deficit, facing the prospect of winning three straight games to win the championship. However, Saturday night saw the team bounce back after losing Games 2 and 3, and hold on for their second victory of the series, with their first also coming in a shootout. With this victory, Pardubice have also reclaimed the home ice advantage, whilst Kometa Brno will be looking to recreate the magic of the previous two games when the series heads back to Pardubice.

Sasu Hovi can't stop Jan Kolář's shootout effort.
Photo: Michal Beránek, isport.blesk.cz 

In what was a rather dull first period, both teams traded penalties and both netminders, Martin Růžička for Pardubice and Jiří Trvaj for Kometa, made a number of key stops to keep the game scoreless through the first period. The second period saw both teams cutting ruts to the penalty box, and as the period went on, Kometa started to get the better of the chances, forcing Růžička to make a number of saves, as well as other methods, such as an old school poke check to deny the Kometa forwards. Pardubice captain Petr Koukal hit the post with a rasping wristshot from the hash marks early in the period, but that was the best chance that the road side were to have in the period, as their powerplay struggled to break down the well organised Brno defence.

Delight for Pardubice
Photo: Michal Beránek, isport.blesk.cz 

The game was still without score as the third period started, but that was soon to change, as Kometa eventually broke the deadlock in the 46th minute. Jozef Balej was left unmarked by the Pardubice defencemen, and carefully slipped past Václav Kočí to connect with Leoš Čermák's perfectly weighted cross-crease pass, leaving Růžička hopeless to the delight of the raucous home crowd. Kometa had the momentum, but Růžička bailed his team out, making a brilliant glove save on a 2 on 1 counterattack by the home side just after Balej's goal. The clock was winding down, and Pardubice were getting desperate. With the puck in the Kometa zone, sheer hard work and determination by Tomáš Zohorna paid off, as he managed to work the puck from the corner to the slot, where Martin Bartek fired home to break Trvaj's shutout bid and to tie the game at 1:1. Only a minute after Bartek's goal, Pardubice had a goal wiped off, as the referee's had already blown the play dead before Jan Buchtele scored. The teams traded chances but the game would eventually go to overtime, which was a cagey period, as both teams didn't want to be the one that made the game deciding mistake, so as in Game 1, the game went to a shootout, and once again Kometa swapped Trvaj for Sasu Hovi. Trvaj made 38 saves in the game.

The shootout began in earnest with Pardubice shooting first, and Tomáš Zohorna scored, his forehand shot beating the blocker of Hovi. Vojtěch Němec was successful with Kometa's first attempt, leaving the shootout tied at 1:1 after the first round of shooters. Jan Kolář I. was the next shooter for Pardubice, and although Hovi got his glove to the puck, the shot was too hot to handle, as it trickled over the line to give Pardubice a 2:1 lead, which they kept until the next round, as Kometa's second shootout effort, by Jozef Balej, was stopped by Růžička's pads. Petr Koukal, the game winner from Game 1 was the next shooter, but before he went, Kometa made the choice to bring Trvaj back into goal. Instead of sitting back in goal, Trvaj charged Koukal, trying a diving pokecheck, but Koukal was wise to it, and quickly got his shot away into the empty net, sealing the game for Pardubice.

Pardubice now have won two games in the shootout in this final series, and have regained the home ice advantage, with two more games to play in Pardubice. It was a disappointing result for Kometa considering their performances in Games 2 and 3, but with the series level after four, you can't see this series going anything shorter than seven games.

Kometa Brno hold on. Extraliga Final all square

(Written for Eurohockey.com)


In a thrilling game at the sold out ČEZ Aréna, Kometa managed to cling on to a win following a miraculous Pardubice comeback in the third period, which levels the series at 1:1

After Tomáš Svoboda's backhand goal to make the score 2-6 with eight and a half minutes to go in the third period, you could be forgiven for thinking that the game was over. However, a stunning Pardubice comeback which saw them score three times in under two minutes gave the 10,050 sellout crowd in attendance a nail-biting finish, which saw the away side manage to hold on to their slender lead, and take the series back to the Kajot Arena level.

Jaroslav Svoboda makes it 2-0 in the first period.
Photo: Pavel Mazáč, www.isport.blesk.cz

As was the case in the opening game in this series, the game ebbed and flowed, and momentum swung from one way to the other with amazing frequency. The game got off to a frantic start, with both teams getting a number of chances, but it was Kometa who would get the better of the early exchanges, moving out to a two goal lead with thirteen minutes gone. Kometa capitalised on Pardubice's mistakes as both goals came as a result of neutral zone giveaways, with Roman Erat scoring first, before a beautiful piece of play by Leoš Čermák set up Jaroslav Svoboda to score on the backhand with thirteen minutes on the clock.

Few would have predicted Kometa to have dominated the game so convincingly, and their positive play continued in the second period, as they stretched their lead to three goals midway through the frame, as a Radim Bičánek point shot beat Martin Růžička on the powerplay to give Kometa a 0-3 lead. However, the away side seemed to become complacent in the second half of the period, and Pardubice would begin to get into the game. Daniel Rakos finally broke their duck with a subtle deflection of a Václav Benák point shot 35 minutes into the game, and from there to the end of the period, they laid siege to Trvaj's goal. It is no surprise that Pardubice outshot Kometa 2 to 1 at the end of the second stanza.

It would have been unfair to hope that the third period of Game 2 would match the standards set by the two teams in Game 1, but once again Kometa and Pardubice put on a show for the fans. A seven goal period left both sets of fans exhausted by the time the final buzzer went. Pardubice cut the lead to one 90 seconds into the period, thanks to a Lukáš Radil goal, but only two minutes later, Kometa forward Tomáš Svoboda netted to restore Kometa's two goal advantage. Their lead was soon stretched to four, as Tomáš Svoboda scored his second goal of the night, whilst Tomáš Divíšek tapped in a one timer to add a goal to his three assists, to give the former Pardubice veteran and current playoffs points leader a four goal night.

Jiří Trvaj made 30 saves for the victory.
Photo: Pavel Kraus.

However, Pardubice can never be counted out of a hockey game, and when Kometa got themselves into penalty trouble, giving Pardubice a 5 on 3 powerplay for 80 seconds, the home side smelled blood. Aleš Píša fired home a point shot to make the score 3-6 on the two man advantage, and although they failed to capitalise on the remaining time on the 5 on 4, Jiří Cetkovský scored just as the penalty expired, moving the puck out of Gretzky's office before getting his own rebound off of Jiří Trvaj's pads. Kometa looked shell-shocked and head-coach Zdeněk Venera quickly called a time-out to try and rally his troops. What he said didn't seem to work though, as only 24 seconds later, Pardubice had made the score 5-6. A nicely worked move off an offensive zone draw saw Petr Koukal send a pass across the slot, which Jan Stary dispatched high into the top corner. He climbed up the boards in celebration, and the home crowd was rocking.

Kometa just needed to hold on for five more minutes to get the victory. However, they seemed to be conspiring the throw the game away, as with just over three minutes on the clock, Jozef Kováčik fired a puck over the glass from his defensive zone, giving Pardubice a powerplay. They threw everything at the Kometa goal, and a Vladimír Sičák point shot hit the post, but Kometa managed to hold on for the victory, to the relief of Venera and the travelling support.

The series now moves to Brno, where Pardubice won twice in the regular season, but with the form that Kometa are showing, they must fancy their chances against this Pardubice side.

Pardubice win Game 1 thriller

(Written for Eurohockey.com)


They took the lead four times, but Pardubice needed a shootout to defeat Kometa Brno in Game 1 of the Czech Extraliga final.

Pardubice lead the seven game series 1-0
Photo: Pavel Mazáč, www.isport.blesk.cz

The sell out crowd in Pardubice were treated to one of the best hockey games of the playoffs so far as Pardubice and Kometa Brno put on a show on Monday evening. Both teams left everything on the ice as the game ebbed and flowed, going from a cagey defensive affair in the first period, to an all out shootout in a six goal third period. Pardubice took the lead four times in the game, but each time Kometa pegged them back. The score was 4-4 after a scoreless ten minute overtime period, and Pardubice ended up winning the shootout by a score of 1-0, with captain Petr Koukal scoring the winning penalty shot in the third round.



Pardubice took the lead early on through Lukáš Radil, but the netminders were the stars of the show in the first period, with Pardubice's Martin Růžička and Kometa's Jiří Trvaj making a number of key saves. Kometa would eventually break the deadlock in the 27th minute, as Leoš Čermák's centering pass deflected off of Pardubice defenceman Václav Kočí's leg and past a sprawling Růžička. The goal came on the powerplay.

Martin Růžička after conceding a freak goal.
Photo: Pavel Mazáč, www.isport.blesk.cz

The third period was fast and furious, with both teams giving it everything they had. Pardubice re-took the lead just two minutes into the period, as they pounced on a neutral zone giveaway and Daniel Rákos grabbed his own rebound to score past Trvaj. Kometa quickly responded though, as Radek Dlouhy scored after good work behind the net by Jaroslav Svoboda to level the score at 2-2. The teams continued to trade goals, as Aleš Píša's goal from the point on the powerplay only gave Pardubice the lead for a few minutes, before Roman Erat was found unmarked in the slot, and he wired a wristshot past Růžička to bring the scores level. Jan Buchtele's goal after brilliant work by Lukáš Radil and Václav Benák looked to have won the game for the home side, but the crowd fell silent with just over three minutes to go, as a harmless dump in by Kometa defenceman Tomáš Žižka went straight through Růžička's five hole and into the goal. An incredible series of events which had the fans on the edge of their seats, and sent the game to a cagey overtime period, where Pardubice had the better of the action, but were denied by Trvaj on a number of occasions.


The game went to a shootout, and Kometa swapped netminders, as they chose to go with Sasu Hovi in the shootout. Hovi managed to stop Martin Bartek and Tomáš Zohorna's efforts, but in the third round, Pardubice captain Petr Koukal sent the home fans into raptures with a beautiful shotoout move, faking a shot before going onto the backhand and lifting the puck over a sprawling Hovi. The pressure was on Leoš Čermák, who looked to have scored when he made Růžička commit to the butterfly, but somehow the Pardubice netminder managed to catch Čermák's effort in his glove, holding the pose for a number of seconds whilst Čermák looked to the heavens in disbelief, moving only to get out of the way of the rushing Pardubice players. Růžička had made up for his mistake in the third period and you could see the relief on his face after the game.

Kometa are no strangers to losing games, as they went behind in the series against Sparta, but there is serious pressure on Zdeněk Venera's team to get the win in Game 2, otherwise Pardubice could run away with the series.

The end of the road for two Czech greats?

The conclusion of the Extraliga semi-finals have not only created a huge buzz around the final featuring surprise package Kometa Brno, but also after news that two of the best Czech players in modern years could have played their last game. Regular season scoring leader Petr Nedvěd has been coy with the press regarding his future, and although it would be a surprise for the 40 year old to retire after his brilliant season, it looks like he won't return to Liberec. In an interview with MF Dnes following his teams Game 6 loss to Pardubice, Nedvěd gave no indication of his plans for next season, stating: "I'm frustrated and tired. During the off-season I will think and see how I feel." (source)

Petr Nedvěd could be on his way back to Prague...
Photo: Jaroslav Appeltauer

Nedvěd, who returned to the national team during the Euro Hockey Tour may be making his first appearance at a IIHF World Championship this coming May, as all signs point to head coach Alois Hadamczik making the Liberec captain a member of his squad. It appears that Nedvěd is relishing the possible chance to lead the Czech Republic to World Championship glory, as once again speaking with MF Dnes, he said, "The coach can call and we will solve the problems.  Although I feel the bitterness of defeat, I want to go for the championship."  Nedvěd scored 5 goals in 6 EHT games this season.


Although retirement is certainly a possibility for the 40 year old forward, it seems that he is looking to finish his career elsewhere from Liberec, although he made sure to point out that he would not rule out the possibility of returning to the White Tigers. One possibility, which has been talked about in the media following Liberec's elimination was that their captain leaving to join Lev Praha, who will compete in the KHL from next season. Whilst Nedvěd turned down advances from Dinamo Minsk in the off-season, the chance to earn a better wage whilst living in Prague may be appealing, although the other side of the argument is whether or not the 40 year old will relish the prospect of playing in a league which stretches across half the world's surface.

Straka faces a difficult summer, with an aging squad
and the prospect of losing a number of big names.
Photo: Milan Podpera.

Another stalwart of Czech hockey whose future is in doubt is Plzeň's Martin Straka. Following their defeat to Kometa Brno in the semi-finals, the Plzeň fans spent minutes chanting the name of their clubs owner and player-coach, who applauded his fans with a aura of resignation about him. However, we will have to wait a few weeks before we hear anything regarding his future, as Straka has obligations to fill with his owner's cap on, as big names such as Radek Duda are still unsigned for next season. Straka also faces problems regarding his aging team, as an article on iSport.cz (source) hints that Jiří Hanzlík and Jiří Vykoukal, both 38 years of age, could both be hanging up the skates.


Straka, a member of the 1998 Nagano Gold Medal team is now 39 years of age, cut a forlorn figure on the bench following Kometa's thrashing of his team in Game 5. With all his other duties as the figurehead of the Plzeň organisation, it remains to be seen whether or not the former Pittsburgh Penguin and New York Ranger will return in a playing capacity. Straka, who was another tipped to join the Czech Republic World Championship squad ruled himself out of the running. In an article on Nova Sport's website, he said, "I'm tired, and my performances have been poor. Someone else deserves the championship place..... Team leaders are there to score goals, but I only scored two in the playoffs."

It's been a rocky road for the Indians, as they have been consistently the best team in the regular season over the past three years, but all they have to show for this is one series win, which was this year in a thrilling seven game series with Zlín. Straka loves his hockey club, but it is entirely plausible that we could have seen the last of him, at least on the ice.

Playoff Preview - Quarterfinals

(Was astounded to see that I haven't updated this in three weeks or so. Apologies for that. University has been rather hectic as of the moment, so I've struggled to keep tabs on the hockey world)


The regular season has come to a close, and it's once again playoff time in the Czech Extraliga. I can't hide my disappointment, as a Slavia fan, that I won't be able to watch the red and whites partake in this years edition, but I'm sure that it'll be another year of thrills, spills and surprises as the most exciting league in the world moves towards its conclusion.

We've also had the play-ins, which saw no surprises as Kometa Brno swept Kladno out of the best-of-five series, which brought Kladno's first season as the knights to a close, and one that showed clear signs of promise, but yet again it was another year of disappointment for the team, whilst in the other series Zlin mounted a comeback in the last two games of the series to take the game away from the 10th seeded Třinec and spare the blushes of the Moravian side. Last season's champions went through a whole bunch of struggles in the second half of the season, not helped by the loss of star defenceman Lukáš Krajíček, half way through the season. The 7th seeded Zlín face Plzen whilst it's a tough series against Sparta for Kometa.

With that in mind, here's my predictions for the playoff quarter-finals.

(1) HC Sparta Praha -v- (8) HC Kometa Brno
(Sparta wins the series 4-1)

Petr Ton in action against Slavia
Photo: Jan Benes hcsparta.cz

I think this will be a much more interesting series than it is on paper. Kometa may not boast the wealth of talent that Sparta has, but you can guarantee that they will come out and give it their all each time, especially when backed by the raucous masses at the Kajot Arena. In the end, Sparta should have just about too much for Kometa in this series, but I can see Kometa picking up a win, more than likely in Game 3 at the Kajot Arena. Interestingly, Kometa split the series with Sparta, with both teams winning two games, although Kometa's two wins came in a shootout and overtime respectively, but with a win at the Tipsport Arena to their name already, Sparta will be wise not to underestimate the team from the second city.

Key player for Sparta - Petr Ton
It's pretty academic when it comes to Sparta. If Petr Ton plays well, nine times out of ten Sparta will win. Coming off of his best ever point totals in the regular season at the age of 38, Ton is showing that he is not past it yet, and will be desperate to capture his first title in five years. Sparta's top line runs through Ton, and if he isn't firing, that line isn't firing.

Key player for Kometa - Jiří Trvaj
If Kometa are to win this series, the netminder will have to stand on his head, and that is something that Trvaj did not do in the series against Kladno. An 88.24% in the three games against Kladno did not shine Kometa's goaltending in the best light, and with an inconsistent at best Sasu Hovi as the backup, Trvaj really has to be the go to guy for Kometa. It remains to be seen whether or not he can backstop Kometa past the first seeds.


(2) HC Plzeň -v- (7) PSG Zlín
(Plzeň wins the series 4-2)

Second seeds Plzen will be desperate for success:
Photo: Milan Podpera

It's been another season of inconsistency for Zlín, whilst Plzeň must be thinking that their luck must turn around in the playoffs sooner rather than later. Marty Straka's men go into the playoffs rather low on confidence, after losing 4 of their last 5 games, but they will be favourites going into this series. Zlín struggled to get over a poor Třinec side in the play-ins, and their record in the playoffs over recent years hasn't exactly been brilliant. I do think that Zlin will win a game or two, as I think that they have enough quality up front to score against Plzeň, whilst Jakub Sedláček does have the talent to put in top level performances, but I can't see Zlín's defence being able to do enough to stop Plzeň from overpowering them.


Key player for Plzeň: Radek Duda
The man, the myth, the legend: Radek Duda. Never far from controversy, and who was just over a year ago playing in the 1.liga, Duda has taken the Extraliga by storm this year, and finished just two points behind eventual scoring champion Petr Nedved. Duda's 59 points in 51 games were integral to Plzeň's success, and if he can put it together in the playoffs, along with the accompanying cast of Jan Kovář and Martin Straka, then Plzeň will be able to roll over Zlin and make it to the semi finals.

Key player for Zlín: Petr Čajánek
Zlin's big summer signing has been a relative disappointment in the eyes of the Zlin faithful. A paltry 6 goals in 48 games was not what the Zlin fans expected of their home town hero. Čajánek has started to improve during the play-in series, scoring five points in five games, but he will need to be firing on all cylinders if Zlin want to advance. With Čajánek firing, Zlin's top line packs a fierce punch, but without him, the pressure falls squarely on Petr Leška to come up with the goods, especially considering how streaky their secondary scoring has been.


(3) HC Pardubice -v- (6) HC Vitkovice
(Vitkovice wins the series 4-3)

Martin Růžička and the defence will have to
stand firm against Burger and the Vitkovice forwards
Photo: Jan Jedlička

It must be infuriating being a Vitkovice fan this season. They have picked up huge wins against the top teams, but have suffered results such as a loss to Mlada Boleslav and 8-2 and 8-1 drubbings at the hands of Kometa and Slavia respectively. They have been a model of inconsistency, whilst Pardubice, who started out the season very strongly, have somewhat cooled towards the business end of the season, dropping four of their last six games. Vitkovice's playoff misery has usually come in the final stages, as the Ostrava side have been beaten finalists in the last two seasons, getting swept by Pardubice in 2010 and then losing in five games to Třinec last season. This season's edition features familiar names, such as Burger, Málek, J. Káňa and Ujčík, but they have simply not been winning enough games they should have won. Roman Málek has been poor compared to last season, and they have been too reliant on Burger for points. On the other hand, Pardubice have looked like world beaters when they defeated Sparta 8-2 in December, but they have lost to basement boys Mlada Boleslav on three occasions, and from an objective point of view, I'm not sure whether or not that this side will be tough enough come playoff time. I can smell an upset in this one. It will be a really close series, but I can see Vitkovice in seven.

Key player for Pardubice - Martin Růžička
I will be honest, I have never been 100% convinced by Růžička in the Pardubice goal. I know he is only 24, which is young in terms of goalies, but watching him I have never really been sure that he is an elite Extraliga goalie. I will be happy to eat humble pie if he stonewalls Vitkovice in this series, but I am just not convinced. If he is at his best, then I see Pardubice comfortably winning this series. If he isn't then I see Vitkovice taking it.

Key player for Vitkovice - Jiří Burger
It wasn't going to be anyone else for Vitkovice really. The 34 year old captain is coming off of his best Extraliga season to date, and will be motivated to avenge the two final losses that he has so far suffered as captain. Burger is one of the most complete players in the league, and if his team mates can follow his example, and buy into the system, Vitkovice could be the dark horses of this years playoffs. The doubts arise surrounding his supporting cast though, which puts added pressure on Burger.


(4) Bili Tygri Liberec -v- (5) HC Mountfield
(Liberec wins series 4-2)

Nedvěd and Pinc are the ones
to watch for Liberec
Photo: Bořivoj Černý

Another extremely close series to call. Liberec have the Petr Nedvěd factor which was a big reason for me picking them, but České Budějovice have a fair amount of talent on their roster, and with Jakub Kovář, could easily take this series. Liberec started off slow, but thanks largely to the form of Nedvěd, marched up to fourth place, whilst Budějovice started off strong have have slowed as the season wore on. They were boosted by the addition of Aleš Kotalík mid way through the season, but like Čajánek, hasn't really shone in the Extraliga. 24 points in 30 games is respectable but more will be expected from the former Buffalo Sabre. Whilst Nedvěd's form is a big plus for Liberec, they have also been boosted by the return to form of the erratic Marek Pinc. You don't have a clue what you are going to get from Pinc, but on his day there are few better keepers around. However, whether he can put it together consistently when the pressure on has always been a problem. Pinc is a one game goalie, whilst Kovář has been a model of composed goaltending this year. Once again, the season series between these two sides was split, showing how tight nearly all of the playoff series' this year are, but I think that Liberec will have too much up front for Budějovice to handle.

Key player for Liberec: Petr Nedvěd
I think this one goes without saying. What a year he has had. Nedvěd and his side will still be smarting from last seasons heartbreaking loss to Slavia, and his performances this year show a far cry from his awful first season with Sparta. With the scoring title to his name, he will now be desperate to get an Extraliga title, and you certainly wouldn't put it past him on this years form.

Key player for České Budějovice: Jakub Kovář
On a team which doesn't boast a large amount of fire power, Kovář has proved exactly why the Philadelphia Flyers drafted him in 2006.  Kovář has already shown that he can put it together in the playoffs, and his performance last season (.947% in 6 games) proved that he will give his team a chance to win every game. His performances this year earned him not only a call up, but playing time for the Czech Republic in the EuroHockeyTour, and a .926% this season has given Budějovice a solid backbone, which is relied upon more often than not.


I know now that all the series' will be 4-0 whitewashes, but I hope that at least I get the teams right!