The Hradec coach can be reassured by his team’s performance, but he himself said: “It was a balanced and competitive match. Apart from the five-minute period after conceding a goal in the first period, when we fell out of our system a little and Třinec had two or three scoring chances, in which the goalkeeper Machovský stopped us, I think that the players, just like yesterday, did a quality job and a very good performance. I have to praise them, there is nothing to blame them for, they were patient and responsible.”
As is usual with Martinec, he did not show much emotion, but he was suffocating disappointment. Hradec was better in extra time, had chances, but traditional Třinec hero Ondřej Kacetl remained a wall. So that after ten minutes of setup, the steel attack flew into the home defense and a playoff joker named Daniel Voženílek made the decision.
“We came under pressure in overtime. We defended it with our fighting spirit, commitment and dedication, and then we struck. We need the same attributes in the next matches, as well as humility towards the qualities of the opponent,” explained Steelers coach Zdeněk Moták.
Attacker Voženílek also scored the winning goal in the first final. And before he ended up on the ice before the key moment, he told himself that he would score now. He accomplished what he had in mind. “Having such a player in the team is a beauty for a coach. And it’s great how he’s doing. But we have 21 players and everyone has a task, a role. It doesn’t matter who scored the winning goal, all players are valid and deserve thanks and congratulations,” said Moták.
Photo: David Taneček, CTK
The Hradec Králové coaching staff – Petr Svoboda, Tomáš Hamara and Tomáš Martinec (from left) with the Hradec Králové players after losing the final.
Even Martinec knew that overtime, as far as the number of chances was concerned, belonged to Hradec, but…
“We had more power in extra time and created a lot of chances, but unfortunately. Then we made one mistake and Třinec punished us, so we have nothing. Maybe we lacked a bit of luck today, but it’s mainly about the quality in finishing, which we still lack. I believe that we will knock ourselves out and go to Třinec with our heads held high. Although the defeat is frustrating. We know that we can play a balanced game with Třinec. We have to trust the system, not be swayed by Třinec’s game. “
