The Ostravas managed to react to the hit of Linus Lindström, the most productive player of the Swedish team, in the opening period of less than three minutes. In the power play, Dominik Lakatoš equalized, who thus got to the top of the productivity of the competition, then Rastislav Dej sent the home side into the lead. After that, only Skelleftea hockey players scored.
“The second quarter cut it up again. In the last month, it’s already a well-worn song. We will get goals in it and we have to chase it,” Lakatoše said. However, he identified as the key moment the equalization of the former player of České Budějovice or Pilsen Latvian Martins Dzierkals in the opening period. “We should have helped each other there, instead it knocked us down. Lately, we haven’t had the ideal power players,” sighed Lakatoš.
Vítkovice already managed to erase the two-goal deficit in the playoffs of the Champions League when they lost 1:2 in the quarter-finals on the ice of Swiss Rapperswil and then conceded first at home. But they made it to the semi-finals after a 5:1 home victory.
“We’ve already done it once and we’re going to Sweden with it in a week. The quality of their skating is great, sometimes they didn’t give us the puck, but there were also passages when we were an equal opponent and sometimes just a little bit of luck was missing. We lose by two goals, but anything can happen. We will go there knowing that we want to go to the final,” emphasized the home captain.
And he immediately fired what will need to be improved for the rematch. “We have to play more simply, that’s the strength. Throwing pucks into the goal and fighting there. Then ugly goals are scored. If we can do it, I believe we will be successful,” said Lakatoš.
“It’s a shame that the second foul in the end didn’t come a little earlier than seventeen seconds before the end,” smiled Jiří Veber, a member of the Vítkovic coaching staff, while evaluating the opening semi-final. “Perhaps we could have used that five-on-three power play and could have gone there with a better result. But we met a really top team in Europe. They forced us into all the mistakes after which they gave us goals. But we’re not packing anything, the battle won’t end until after the third siren of retaliation. Then it will be clear who will be in the finals,” said Veber.
The hockey players of the Swedish team are closer to him. “We are two goals up and one step away from the final. We play well, but at home we need to help the goalkeeper a lot more. Linus (Söderström) supported us a lot,” said Dylan Sikura, the author of Skelleftea’s fourth goal.