RAHL2 – Round 9: HK Petržalka win the derby 2:0 and go top, Hockey for all score six against Trnava

Round 9 of RAHL2 was played on Sunday 1 November and changed the order at the top of the table. HK Petržalka took first place by winning the Petržalka derby, Hockey for all are level with them on points, and just three points separate the top five teams. Two rounds remain until the halfway point of the regular season. The four games produced 17 goals, and all four were won by two or more goals.

TJ Družstevník Petržalka – HK Petržalka 0:2: the derby goes to the new leaders

The first meeting in round 2 ended in a 2:2 draw; this time HK Petržalka had the upper hand. Šimon Škula put them ahead as early as the 2nd minute and the 1:0 lead held throughout the first half. In the 24th minute Tomáš Jevčik and Ivan Zatkalík built the move that Matúš Kocún finished for 2:0. No more goals followed. TJ Družstevník Petržalka had scored in every game this season and drew a blank for the first time in the very game for first place, dropping from the top of the table to third.

HK Petržalka won without conceding for the third time this season, after 5:0 against Lions and 2:0 against Alpha Hockey Team. They did not take a single penalty in the game, and with twelve penalties in nine games they are the most disciplined team in the league. Kocún scored for the fourth round in a row and leads the points table.

Trnava Beast – Hockey for all 2:6: six scorers and three assists for Husár

Hockey for all settled the game early. Daniel Gálik scored after 73 seconds, Bohuslav Dobrik less than a minute later, and Jozef Kubo made it 0:3 in the 13th minute. Trnava Beast pulled one back before the break when Daniel Benkovský finished a move by Tomáš Kollár and Alfonz Lančarič. After the interval, however, Ivan Havelka and Juraj Šebest scored twice in 65 seconds, both set up by Adam Husár, and Jakub Fiľakovsky added the sixth in the 36th minute. Benkovský made it 2:6 on the power play.

Six different Hockey for all players scored, Husár had three assists and Fiľakovsky 1+1. Six goals is the team's season high and they are unbeaten in six games in a row – five wins and a draw since losing to Uličníci in round 3. They won the round 2 meeting 5:2. Trnava Beast are still without a win after nine games, with a single point from a draw against Uličníci and 48 goals conceded.

HK Petržalka – Uličníci (round 6). Photo: RAHL

HC Senec – Lions 3:0: revenge for round 2

HC Senec lost 1:3 to Lions in round 2; this time they did not let them score at all. Matej Rossa scored after just 26 seconds from a Matej Pokryvka pass. Senec then survived two penalties within a minute – to Rossa and Roman Kubik – and kept the lead until the break. In the second half Kubik added the second goal from an Ivo Palaky pass and Igor Podmanický the third in the 37th minute. Senec have won three of their last four games and have ten points. Lions failed to score for the third time this season.

Uličníci – Alpha Hockey Team 3:1: turnaround in the second half

Uličníci also got their revenge – they had lost 1:5 to Alpha Hockey Team in round 2. The first half was scoreless, even though Uličníci took two penalties in it. Lukáš Urban opened the scoring in the first minute of the second half, Roman Bilek equalised six minutes later, but Lukáš Kordoš and Matej Černy then decided the game. Urban had a goal and two assists and, together with Husár, was the most productive player of the round; Christian Badalov assisted on two goals. It was Uličníci's first win since round 4, while Alpha Hockey Team have won only one of their last seven games.

Standings: five teams within three points

HK Petržalka and Hockey for all have 13 points each, with first place going to HK Petržalka on goal difference (33:15 against 29:18). TJ Družstevník Petržalka are one point behind, and HC Senec and Uličníci have 10 points each. Alpha Hockey Team have seven points, Lions six and Trnava Beast one. HK Petržalka have scored the most goals in the league (33) and, together with TJ Družstevník, conceded the fewest (15 each).

Round 9 produced 17 goals, the same as round 7 – the lowest of the season. The most came in the opening round (30). The referees handed out ten penalties, three of them to Uličníci. TJ Družstevník Petržalka (23) and Trnava Beast (22) have the most penalties this season, HK Petržalka (12) and Hockey for all (14) the fewest.

Hockey for all – Alpha Hockey Team (round 6). Photo: RAHL

Points table

The points table is led by Matúš Kocún of HK Petržalka with 12 points (6+6). Tomáš Šimek of Hockey for all (6+5) and Michal Maličký of Lions (4+7) have 11 each, and Tomáš Jevčik of HK Petržalka has ten (5+5). Peter Tisovský of TJ Družstevník Petržalka (4+4), Jaromir Čech (4+4) and Adam Husár (1+7) of Hockey for all and Christian Badalov of Uličníci (3+5) have eight points each. Kocún and Šimek are the top scorers with six goals each, with Jevčik, Jiří Cibulya of HK Petržalka and Jozef Kapel of Uličníci on five.

Round 10: Hockey for all v Uličníci, HK Petržalka v Lions

On Sunday 8 November the same pairs meet as in round 3. Back then Hockey for all lost 2:3 to Uličníci, HK Petržalka beat Lions 5:0, HC Senec beat Alpha Hockey Team 1:0 and TJ Družstevník Petržalka won 6:1 against Trnava Beast.

8:30 Hockey for all – Uličníci
9:45 TJ Družstevník Petržalka – Trnava Beast
11:00 HK Petržalka – Lions
12:15 Alpha Hockey Team – HC Senec

Voting for the Superfanúšik Player of Round 9 is open until Sunday 8 November at 8:30 on the Player of the Round page.