From underdog to the terror of the favorites! František Polák and Knights are living a dream season

In RAHL3, the Player of the Week is František Polák of Knights. He scored four goals against Hockey For All, and Knights shocked the “favorite of the competition” with an 8:1 win. In the interview Polák explains why the opponent's style of play suited them, how decisive the first goal, scored shorthanded, was, and why they built the whole game on patience and quick breakaways. The talk also turned to how they see the fight for the playoffs and what it means to the team that, after long seasons, they are finally in a real battle to advance.

1. Four goals in one game. How would you describe your performance?

František: “I felt very good in the game today. HFA's style of play suited us and we could play for quick breakaways. After HFA's opening push we managed to catch the opponent off guard. We scored the opening goal shorthanded, which calmed us down as a team and, on the other hand, put the favorite under pressure, and that had a big influence on how the rest of the game went.”

2. A sensational, lopsided 8:1 win over the favorite of the whole competition, Hockey For All. How would you describe your team's performance?

František: “As I already mentioned, when you take the lead in a game against the favorite, it means the opponent has to step up its activity and take a few more risks, which again played into our team strategy of waiting for the opponent's mistakes and playing for breakaways. I'm glad our team was able to stick to the agreed strategy for the whole game and that we saw the game through to a winning finish.”

3. You are one win away from securing a playoff spot with two rounds left in the regular season. Do you already have an opponent in mind that you would like to face, and, on the other hand, one you would like to avoid?

František: “Either way, it's in our own hands, and in the last 3 games of the regular season we can even fight for a possible 3rd place in our group. I hope we'll hold on to it. Next weekend and the game against Royals will be very important and will tell us a lot.”

4. After long seasons, you as a team have finally fought your way into the battle for the championship. What does it feel like?

František: “I'll be honest. The fact that we've managed to be this high in the standings and to really fight for playoff positions is a pleasant surprise for the whole team. Before the season we added a few new players to the roster, and they've fit into the team superbly, both in how they play and as people. Even so, we didn't go into the season with inflated expectations. We knew we had our quality, but our group was packed with excellent teams, so we wanted to take it game by game. Over time it turned out that we can give strong opponents trouble too, which encouraged us for the games that followed. We know that even if we make the playoffs, the toughest games of the season will be waiting for us and we'll go into every game as the underdog, but we're used to that by now. Keep your fingers crossed for us!”

Polák spelled out the tactics clearly. Put the favorite under pressure, force them to take risks and then punish them on breakaways. According to him, Knights stuck to the agreed tactics for the whole game, and that is why it ended in an unexpectedly high 8:1. In the standings it is in their own hands, and the next game against Royals may say a lot about the playoffs. And although they would go into the elimination stage more as the underdog, he says that suits the team, and that is exactly how they want to carry on.