Třebíč Defeats Vsetín in Shootout While Jihlava Falls to Tábor in High-Scoring Thriller
The top tier of Czech professional ice hockey delivered a pair of contrasting contests on Wednesday evening, as SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč edged league frontrunners VHK ROBE Vsetín 3–2 via a deciding shootout before 1,811 spectators at the KHNP Aréna. While Třebíč successfully defended home ice against the competition leaders, HC Dukla Jihlava suffered a narrow 5–6 defeat at home against HC Tábor before a crowd of 4,760 in a frantic twelve-goal encounter.
Matějček Strikes Twice Before Poledna Decides Shootout
Vsetín entered the matchup holding the top spot in the Maxa liga standings, but encountered stiff resistance from a Třebíč side renowned for its defensive structure in the neutral zone. Following a scoreless opening period, Vsetín forward Štěpán Matějček broke the deadlock past the game’s midpoint at the 32nd minute, deflecting a shot from Ondřej Šmerha past goaltender Mičán. Třebíč responded in the third period when Michal Vodný leveled the score at 49 minutes with assists from David Ferda and Adam Svoboda. Just three minutes later, Matějček reclaimed the lead for Vsetín off a feed from David Straka. However, Luboš Rob—who played for Vsetín last spring before joining Třebíč—netted the equalizer with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, beating goaltender Pavlíček near the post. Following a scoreless three-on-three overtime where both sides struck the iron, the game advanced to a shootout. Aleš Poledna converted the lone successful attempt in the third round, deking Pavlíček to secure the bonus point for the hosts.
Tactical Grinds and Coaching Assessments in Třebíč
Vsetín head coach Ondřej Němec acknowledged the tactical challenges posed by the hosts after the final whistle. We knew a tough match awaited us in Třebíč, and that was confirmed,
Němec said. It is difficult to play against them. The team has been together for a long time and has a very well-developed neutral zone defense. Moreover, they reinforced the roster well before this season. The division of points is fair; individual shootouts are always a lottery.
Roman Erat highlighted the competitive balance of the fixture, noting that his squad pushed hard for the win during the final ten minutes of regulation.
Jihlava Loses to Tábor After Struggling on Faceoffs
In the parallel fixture across the region, Jihlavská Dukla failed to secure what would have been their sixth victory, falling 5–6 to HC Tábor. Jihlava deployed goaltender Matěj Žajdlík—who played for Tábor until last year—against his former club, but Žajdlík conceded twice within the opening fourteen minutes to goals by Patrik Novák and Jan Slavíček. Jihlava clawed back through Matouš Menšík and Lukáš Lhoták before taking a lead in the middle frame behind tallies from Ergars Kulda, Menšík, and Lhoták. Tábor rallied in the closing stages, pulling their goaltender before Jakub Valský netted the game-winner with less than a minute remaining on the clock. Jihlava assistant coach Karel Nekvasil pointed to puck possession struggles as the decisive factor. One of the biggest problems today was faceoffs,
Nekvasil said. I don’t know the exact numbers, but we started maybe 85% of shifts without the puck. Even the last goal we conceded came directly after a lost faceoff. Then it is difficult to get the puck, it costs us a lot of energy and space to get into the attack.
Vsetín Leads Maxa Liga Table Before Havířov Match
Following the 15th-round results, Vsetín remains at the summit of the Maxa liga table with 36 points from 15 games, despite suffering only their third loss of the season. HC Tábor holds third position with 32 points, while Třebíč climbs to 30 points in fourth place. Jihlava sits seventh with 26 points. Vsetín returns to action on Sunday at 17:00 local time at the Lapač stadium to host Havířov.
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