Slovan pulls off overtime win!

HC SLOVAN Bratislava - Dynamo Riga 3:2 pp (0:0, 0:1, 2:1 - 1:0)

Goals: 46. Bartovič (Barker), 49. Kašpar (Nagy, Miklík), 65. Tičar (Starosta) - 35. Darzins, 54. M. Redlihs (Sestito, K. Redlihs). Officials: Belyayev, Buturlin - Gordenko, Tomilov. Penalties: 1:2 (2 min.), Powerplay/Shorthanded Goals: 0:0. Attendance: 7,577.

Lineups:
Slovan Bratislava: Brust - Švarný, Starosta, Novák, Barker, Sersen, Mihálik, Kozák - Jeglič, Tičar, Nagy – Kašpar, Nedorost, Miklík – Šťastný, Surový, Bartovič – Skalický, Viedenský, Lušňák
Dinamo Riga: Eriksson – Galvins, Kundrátek, K. Redlihs, Seigo, Yeroveyevs, Sotnieks – M. Redlihs, Sestito, Meija – Saulietis, Dzerins, Skvorcovs – Bukarts, Berzins, Indrasis – Leino, Schütz, Darzins - Locans

After a slow start from both sides, it was the visitors who came up with the first decent chance. A move from the third line set up Berzins to shoot from the right circle, and he tested the goaltender, but Brust smothered the puck. In the 11th minute, the home defence failed to contain Darzins, who sailed down the middle into the attacking zone, but he missed the target when up against Brust. Two minutes later, the Sky Blues also threatened. Lušňák's shot got away from netminder Erikssonovi vypadla, and the fourth-line winger got to the puck through two defencemen, but there was to be no goal. Skalický also made it in front of goal, but he too came away empty-handed. The visitors' first powerplay came in the 15th minute, but was successfully defended. Late in the period, Slovan could have stolen the lead. Nagy let fly a powerful shot, which Eriksson could only block, handing Jeglič a sitter, but he somehow hit the post.

Darzins broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, firing home a precise slapshot - 0:1. Slovan finally managed a reply in the final period. First, Šťastný had a goal disallowed, but a minute later Bartovič got a touch on Barker's short, and the scores were level - 1:1. Kašpar added a second with ten minutes to go, turning the game in Slovan's favour - 2:1. In the 54th, however, Redlihs restored parity, so Slovan headed into overtime for the third time this season. Thankfully, Tičar secured the two points in Slovan's favour with a decisive strike in the final minute.