Vítkovice didn’t have a bad start at all against their Finnish opponents and went into the lead twice, but in the remaining two periods Classic players found their way through the Czechs’ defence and built a decisive lead. Classic hence grabbed the third place and sent Vítkovice to the fourth.
Less than five minutes into the match the home team already had to face a power-play due to Martin Nehera’s play on the ground when trying to block Classic’s shot. Vítkovice however defended the Finnish pressure well and managed to attack too. Josef Rýpar found his way to the center court with a deke and sent a long-range shot that found the net behind Talvitie. Classic in their pink jerseys showed a great play in the eighth minute when they tied the score at 1-1 with a one-touch combination. Other chances on both sides ended only in the side of the net.
The tight opening period was closed by Lukáš Souček’s jump who stopped a Finnish opportunity and sent a long throw to the other end of the court, which Ondřej Firda managed to tip into Classic’s net. The Finns then survived a scrum in front of their goal following Josef Rýpar’s return from the penalty bench, who was joined by Lukáš Hájek. But shortly afterwards, two Vítkovice were sent off at the same time. Marek Bräuer received yet another penalty for playing on the ground and was joined by Jakub Hubálek for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Classic took advantage of their opportunity, tied the score at 2-2 and took over the initiative. The Finnish champions then scored four unanswered goals and built a decisive lead. With the score at 6-2 Vítkovice were awarded a power-play and their coaches took a time-out to give instructions to their players. Vítkovice were rewarded for their active play with their third goal scored by Jakub Hubálek, whose hard shot found the net behind the sitting Talvitie. But the final didn’t result in another change in the score and Vítkovice had to swallow a 3-6 loss.
Best players of the match: Jan Šebesta (1. SC TEMPISH Vítkovice) – Ville Lastikka (SC Classic)
