Hokejisti Slovana Bratislava stopped a three-game home losing skid on Wednesday by defeating HK Dukla Trenčín 5–3 in the 17th round of the Tipsport liga, despite blowing a three-goal lead at the Ondrej Nepela Arena.
The hosts entered the fixture looking to rebound following a sluggish stretch after the international break. Slovan controlled the opening forty minutes behind swift passing sequences and clinical finishing, jumping out to a commanding advantage.
Ryder Korczak opened the scoring at 18:00 by firing a shot past the goaltender from between the circles after Ryan Dmowski forced a turnover. Vojtech Zeleňák doubled the margin to 2–0 early in the second period at 23:00, poking in a feed from the doorstep following good work by Samuel Takáč and Marek Bakoš.
Liam Pecararo then extended the gap to 3–0 at 26:00 by chipping a breakaway lob under the crossbar after Dmowski blocked a shot to launch the counter.
Trenčín responded before the second intermission when Miloš Bubela scrambled a loose puck across the line at 28:00 during a goalmouth scramble. The visitors pulled closer when Andrej Kudrna capitalized on a shorthanded breakaway at 42:00 after a broken stick disrupted Slovan’s power play. Martin Kalis then tied the contest at 3–3 at 48:00 by deflecting a point shot from Josh Merkley past the defense.
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Ján Petriska restored the home side’s edge at 49:00 by banking a quick shot from behind the goal line off the netminder’s back. Dmowski capped the scoring at 53:00 with a backhand deke, collecting his tenth goal of the campaign along with two assists to earn player-of-the-match honors.
“Boli sme dnes nabudení.”
„Ocenenie si vážim. Snažil som sa robiť malé veci správne, aby som pomovedal tímu k víťazstvu,“ said Ryan Dmowski, forward for HC Slovan Bratislava, as reported by HC SLOVAN Bratislava.”
The visiting side dealt with roster changes leading up to the puck drop, compounded by illnesses on the bench during the match.
Chýbali nám nejakí hráči a niektorí zvracali na striedačke,“ said Todd Woodcroft, head coach of HK Dukla Trenčín, according to Šport.sk.”
The fixture carried broader significance as both organizations dedicated the evening to fallen soldiers and military veterans. Players warmed up wearing specialized camouflage jerseys while the Armed Forces band performed before a crowd of 5,673 spectators.
Chief of the General Staff Miroslav Lorinc performed the ceremonial opening puck drop as members of the armed forces watched from the stands.
