They learned last year's lesson perfectly. Rockets dominated their RAHL3 quarterfinal series against Hockey For All and, after two wins by a combined score of 10:1, are headed to the semifinals. The decisive step in the 5:1 victory came from Matej Murcko, who scored a natural hat trick and was named Player of the Week. He casts himself merely as the “cleaner” who honestly put in his shift, though. In this interview he praises the attitude of the whole team, warns about the strength of the next opponent from Petržalka and admits with a smile that those goals are going to cost him plenty in the locker room.

While in the first game they really struggled against the opponent's goaltender, in the second they unleashed an offensive hurricane. HK Petržalka blew out Mad Vipers 7:2 and strides confidently into the RAHL1 final. The fantastic team performance bore the clearest signature of Patrik Hubek (2+3), who conducted the play and fed his wingers with perfect passes. In the interview he reveals the tactical changes that led to seven goals, assesses the surprise of the playoffs, team Wild Hogs, and explains why, in the locker room of the most frequent finalist, absolute calm and determination reign this time instead of stress.

The first point of the RAHL1 semifinals is in the bag! After an excellent team performance, HK Petržalka beat Mad Vipers 3:1, with two-goal scorer Štefan Pilár having the main say. In the postgame interview he made it clear that individual stats take a back seat in the elimination stage and that only the win matters. Find out how the Petržalka players respond to the opponent's excellent goaltender and with what clear tactics they will skate onto the ice in the return game.

They passed the first quarterfinal step with flying colors. The players of HC LEV Senec entered the RAHL3 elimination stage in commanding fashion and crushed team Knights 6:0. The central figure of the game was none other than the winner of the regular-season stats, Michal Maličký. With a 4+1 night he owned the ice, but in his postgame assessment he keeps his emotions in check – in the playoffs, after all, only the win counts, and it doesn't matter whether it's by one goal or by six. Read how he sees the dominant start to the elimination stage, another shutout for Aďo Nogely and why individual trophies mean nothing to him right now.

They ground out a narrow win and tuned up for the end of the season. In a tense, nervy RAHL3 battle, team Royals edged Beers 3:2. The absolute hero of the game was Dalibor Durmis, who with a 2+1 night put his name to every single goal his team scored. In the interview he not only assessed this gritty performance but also candidly named the causes of this season's struggles. They can no longer change their position in the standings, but they want to enter the battles for the Pohár nádeje in the best possible form

Playoff mode is fully activated. HK Petržalka entered the quarterfinals exactly as a favorite should – by the fifth minute the scoreboard already read 3:0, and Uličníci were unable to recover from the shock. The main driving force in the 5:2 win was two-goal scorer Marek Hronec. In the postgame interview, with a smile but with strict analysis, he breaks down not only the quick start but also the importance of team discipline and video preparation. Read what he thinks will decide the return game and whom they will have to watch extra closely.

The biggest surprise of the elimination stage so far has arrived. MAD Vipers shocked reigning champion Wild Thing Karaoke, swept the series 2:0 in games and, after a comeback in the second game (3:1), are headed for the semifinals. The cornerstone of the success was phenomenal goaltender Martin Šimášek, who rightly became Player of the Week. In the interview he describes the sweet feeling of eliminating the favorite, praises his teammates' sacrifice and hints at what Vipers will bring against the dominant regular-season winner from Petržalka.

A roller coaster of a game with a happy ending. Ice Punkers beat Black Wings 7:5 in RAHL3 after a real goal chase. The main driving force was Patrik Bučič, who contributed 2+2 to the win. In the interview he openly admitted that the opponent bit back much harder than they had expected. After a weaker start to the season, the league newcomers are coming to life thanks to their winter additions and have wiped out a huge points deficit. Their fate will now be decided in a head-to-head game for a place in the top four that advances.

For long seasons they were in the background, but this year Knights are writing a different story. After a shocking 8:1 win over leader Hockey For All, they have one foot in the playoffs. The architect of the success was František Polák, who fired four goals past the opponent. Read what is behind the team's revival, how the new additions have fit in and why, ahead of the key game against Royals, they even believe they can reach third place in the standings.