Ivan Bajza (Black Jokers): “I played the way I always do, they just went in.” He promised punch cakes for the hat trick

The Player of the Week in RAHL1 is Ivan Bajza of team Black Jokers. He engineered the 4:2 win over White Sharks and put his name to it with nothing less than a hat trick. For a long time the game did not go ideally for Jokers – with 10 minutes to go they were still trailing 1:2 – but then came their short but brutally efficient stretch that turned the whole game around. How did Bajza see his performance, what does he think decided it, and why are Black Jokers' results such a roller coaster?

1. A hat trick against White Sharks. How would you rate your performance in this game?

Ivan: “My performance in the game was the same as always. I try to go all out and help the team, but I agree that this time they went in for me more than usual.”

2. With 10 minutes to go in the game you were trailing 1:2, but then came your magical 3 minutes and you turned the game around to a final score of 4:2. How would you rate your team's performance?

Ivan: “I think our team performance is good in every game. Even when we're losing, we don't argue and we fight to the end. We know we have quality scorers, then players who battle for every puck, an excellent defense, and the goalies bail us out too, even if things don't always go our way...”

3. Lately your results have been a roller coaster. What do you have to change to be able to win regularly?

Ivan: “Winning regularly would be beautiful, every team wants that, but it doesn't always work out. Sometimes we're missing a little bit of luck. For example, in the game against AHS we were the better team, but they managed to score on everything, and then in this game we probably weren't the better team, but Vizzi bailed us out and we managed to score 4 times. Personally, I wouldn't change anything on our team – maybe you'd have to ask the others.”

4. Scoring a hat trick surely means you will have to bring something to the locker room. What are your goals worth in your locker room?

Ivan: “In our locker room it doesn't matter who scores the goals, as long as we get on the board and it helps the team. There were hints about punch cakes, so I guess I'll deliver that for the boys.”

Bajza put it without any big speeches: he doesn't play any differently than usual, the pucks just went in for him this time. More important is that Black Jokers don't panic or argue even when the score is against them, and they know how to step up at the right moment – and that is exactly what happened against White Sharks too. If they want to stabilize their results, they will need more consistency and maybe also a bit of that “little bit of luck” he talks about. And as for the hat trick? In the locker room it supposedly doesn't matter who scores the goals… but the punch cakes look like a sure thing. The Player of the Round receives a €20 voucher from our partner WILD THING and also a voucher from our partner LMTAuto.sk, who will take professional care of your car. From league partner Diamant Sóda he receives a hydration voucher worth €30.