Slovan Wins in Zagreb!

Medveščak Zagreb – HC SLOVAN Bratislava 2:3pp (1:2, 0:0, 1:0 - 0:1)

Goals: 6. Genoway (Hedberg, Larkin), 60. Kvapil – 2. Viedenský (Barker, Bartovič), 5. Jeglič (Barker), 63. Starosta (Kašpar)

Lineups:
Medveščak: Kroshel – Mäntylä (A), Gysbers, Morrisonn, Kinrade, Katic, Larkin, Deutsch, Jurčina – Smoleňák (A), Mertl, Kvapil – Giliati, Brule, Bjorkstrand – Hedberg, Genoway, Jämtin – Glumac (C), Zanoski
HC SLOVAN: Brust  – Barker, Novák, Starosta, Švarný, Kozák, Sersen, Luža – Kašpar, Nedorost, Nagy (A) – Jeglič, Tičar, Šťastný – Surový (C), Viedenský, Bartovič (A) – Skalický, Lušňák, Skokan

Slovan kicked off the final game of their first road trip in fine style. Inside two minutes, they had set up in Zagreb zone, and Marek Viedenský directed Barker's shot past Kroshel – 0:1. Luža's foul then handed Medveščak a powerplay opportunity, but the hosts ended up conceding instead. First Tičar tried to finish off on approach, then seconds later Jeglič got to the puck and his slapshot delighted the dozens of Slovan fans in Zagreb - 0:2. In the 6th minute, the home seized on a mistake on centre ice, and Genoway beat Brust – 1:2. Glumac did well to carve out another chance for Medveščak, but Brust pulled off a fine save.

The second period produced some attractive hockey for the fans, both teams trying to go on the offensive, and play switched from end to end. In the 24th minute, the troublesome Brule had a double attempt, but neither could beat Brust. Bartovič then broke away on the counter, but only succeeded in shooting at Kroshel. The hosts offered a similar chance to Skalický, but his feint didn't come off. Nagy spurned perhaps the greatest of the chances, his finish ending up in the goalie's mitt. Barry Brust was again in action in the 34th, and was glad to see the puck skip past the left-hand post.

The first serious chance in the third period fell to Kašper after Viedenský's pass. But Zagreb's Slovene goaltender handled shots also from Nagy, and Novák on the follow-up. Meanwhile, Slovan defended brilliantly, and kept Medveščak from clear chances. An error by Brust in the closing minutes finally offered the hosts their only chance, and Kvapil seized the opportunity half a minute from the end, taking the game into overtime. 

Slovan was the more active in overtime, and it was thanks to Tomáš Starosta that Slovan grabbed the two points!

Miloš Říha: We knew Medveščak weren't losing at home, plus they'd had two days free, so we expected them to come at us. We managed to score goals via active defence, which enabled us to settle down and play our game. There were a lot of penalties in the second period; the fourth line didn't really feature. In the third period, we played on the break, and there were plenty of them, unfortunately we didn't convert from two-on-one situations. We're pleased with two points, and we're pleased that after that mistake at the end, we pulled ourselves together and won it. We've had a great trip, we've won three times. We're really happy with the work the team's putting in, and with the eight points they've earned.