RAHL3 – Round 9: Admirals make it 9 from 9 after a thriller with Black Wings, Rockets back on top of group B, Reapers win for the first time

Round 9 of RAHL3 was played on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November. The eight games produced 53 goals and two of them ended in a draw. Admirals still have a perfect record, Rockets returned to the top of group B and Pressburg Reapers finally got their first win. Two rounds remain until the halfway point of the regular season.

HC Bratislava Black Wings – Admirals 3:4: the leaders' toughest win

Admirals had never conceded more than one goal in a game, but on Sunday HC Bratislava Black Wings pushed them to the end. Tomáš Timko opened the scoring in the 5th minute, Maximilián Nikolajev equalised 37 seconds later and the first half ended 1:1. After the break Filip Francisty put Admirals ahead, set up by Lukáš Látka and Patrik Bučič. Karol Vida equalised at 2:2 on the power play in the 34th minute, but Martin Nemlaha restored the lead 22 seconds later and Michal Andel made it 4:2 for Admirals on the power play in the 37th minute. Vida pulled one back with his second goal 16 seconds later, but it was not enough for an equaliser.

Admirals have nine wins from nine games and a goal record of 52:8. It was only the second time this season they have won by a single goal, after 2:1 against HC Lev Senec in the opening round. Látka had two assists, Timko and Nemlaha 1+1 each. Black Wings have lost three games in a row, two of them by one goal.

AHC Pezinok Grapes – Hockey for all 4:2: Mrva ends the streak

Hockey for all came in as group B leaders with five straight wins, but AHC Pezinok Grapes stopped them. Daniel Mrva, the Player of the Month for September, scored in the 1st minute, Michal Hupka made it 2:0 in the 5th, and Hockey for all only pulled one back at the end of the first half through Ivan Havelka. Mrva added his second goal right at the start of the second half for 3:1. Denis Lovecký made it 3:2 in the 36th minute, but a minute later Viktor Olšavský, set up by Michal Hrivnák and Mrva, restored Grapes' two-goal lead.

Tomáš Škoda assisted on all three Grapes goals in the first 22 minutes. Mrva had 2+1 and has scored nine goals in six games – only Karol Vida has more in the league. Grapes have won twice in a row, while Hockey for all lost for the first time since round 3 and dropped from first to third in group B.

Royals – Rockets 3:6: Murcko and Jašo put Rockets back on top

Rockets took advantage of Hockey for all's defeat. Matej Murcko scored after 19 seconds and they led 2:1 at the break. In the second half they added four goals, and although Royals pulled two back, the 3:6 result returned Rockets to first place in group B. Murcko had two goals and two assists and was the most productive player of the round, Marek Jašo also scored twice and Jan Krizan had two assists. Matúš Kalafut, Juraj Novotný and Michal Brhel scored for Royals, Maroš Mikula had two assists.

HC Lev Senec – Beers 7:1: six goals before the break

HC Lev Senec settled it in the first half. Juraj Majerovský scored in the 2nd minute, Martin Stolarik in the 4th, Vladimír Karaffa and Richard Pokryvka within 82 seconds in the 13th and 14th minutes, Jaro Šuplata in the 18th and Stanley Nevláčil in the 20th – six goals, six different scorers. Beers pulled one back in the 39th minute through Martin Gregor, and Miroslav Krivosudsky made it 7:1 in the last second of the game. Richard Hujo had three assists, Šuplata 1+2.

Senec are unbeaten in eight games in a row and have won the last five. Their only defeat came in the opening round against Admirals, and they have conceded eight goals in nine games – the same as Admirals and the fewest in the league.

AHC Pezinok Grapes – Alpha Hockey Team (round 4). Photo: RAHL

Ľadoborci – Pressburg Reapers 3:5: a first win in the final 30 seconds

Pressburg Reapers had waited eight rounds for a win. Matej Pliešovský put them ahead after 46 seconds, but Ľadoborci turned it around to 2:1 by the break with goals from Filip Hatiar and Matej Kráľ. Matej Jelačič and Matúš Paločko made it 2:3 in the 25th and 27th minutes, Kráľ equalised at 3:3 on the power play with 64 seconds left – and then came the finish for Reapers. Paločko scored with 30 seconds remaining and Dušan Kviatek sealed the 3:5 win two seconds from the end. Ján Majerník had two assists, Jelačič 1+1. Ľadoborci have won only two of their nine games.

Ice Punkers – HC Vikings Petržalka 5:2: three goals in the first three minutes

Ice Punkers had the game decided after three minutes. Tomáš Modrovský scored after 20 seconds, Lukáš Skalík after 42 seconds and Lukáš Raček in the 3rd minute. Peter Krak added a fourth on the power play and Skalík his second. HC Vikings Petržalka pulled two back through Tomáš Ondriska and Filip Blaho for 5:2. Ice Punkers have won three games in a row and are third in group A, and Skalík has eight goals this season. Vikings remain the only team in the league without a win.

Alpha Hockey Team – TJ Družstevník Petržalka 1:1 and Knights – Márna Snaha 3:3

Both goals in the game between Alpha Hockey Team and TJ Družstevník Petržalka came in the first eight minutes: Lukáš Bučko put Družstevník ahead, Roman Kalous equalised 96 seconds later and there were no more goals. After the 0:2 defeat to Ľadoborci, TJ Družstevník have now gone two games without a win, but they remain second in group A.

The game between Knights and Márna Snaha began with a goal from Radoslav Novodomec after ten seconds. Knights turned it around early on – Frantisek Kis and František Androvič scored. Marián Fuchs equalised and Kis restored Knights' 3:2 lead less than two minutes before the break. Peter Orlický equalised at 3:3 in the 25th minute and there were no more goals. For the first time this season Knights have gone two games without defeat.

Tables

Group A. Admirals lead with 18 points and a goal record of 52:8 – the best attack and the best defence in the group. TJ Družstevník Petržalka are second with 14 points, Ice Punkers have ten and Royals eight. Beers and Alpha Hockey Team have five points each, Knights four and HC Vikings Petržalka two.

Group B. Rockets and HC Lev Senec have 15 points each, with first place going to Rockets. Rockets have the best attack in the league (58 goals), Senec the best defence in the group. Hockey for all have 14 points and AHC Pezinok Grapes 12. HC Bratislava Black Wings have ten points, Ľadoborci five, Márna Snaha four and Pressburg Reapers three.

Beers – Ice Punkers (round 4). Photo: RAHL

Worth noting

Round 9 produced 53 goals, more than round 8 (42) but fewer than the record round 6 (68). The referees handed out 25 penalties, the most to AHC Pezinok Grapes (4), with three each to Beers, Pressburg Reapers and Alpha Hockey Team. Over the season HC Bratislava Black Wings (32) and Beers (27) have the most penalties, Knights (7) and Rockets (9) the fewest.

Points table

The points table is led by Matej Murcko of Rockets with 18 points (8+10) from six games. His teammate Peter Demeter is second with 17 points (9+8), and Karol Vida of HC Bratislava Black Wings (10+4) and Patrik Bučič of Admirals (6+8) have 14 each. Daniel Mrva, Michal Hupka, Miroslav Wieger, Ivan Havelka, Lukáš Látka and Andrej Štefko have 13 each. Vida is the league's top scorer with ten goals, with Demeter and Mrva on nine.

Round 10: Hockey for all v HC Lev Senec and Rockets v Ice Punkers

The most interesting game of round 10 is Saturday's clash between Hockey for all and HC Lev Senec for the top of group B, with just one point between them. Later that evening group B leaders Rockets take on Ice Punkers, third in group A, and Admirals play Royals.

Saturday 7 November:
13:30 Beers – HC Bratislava Black Wings
15:15 TJ Družstevník Petržalka – AHC Pezinok Grapes
16:30 Márna Snaha – Ľadoborci
17:45 Hockey for all – HC Lev Senec
19:00 Rockets – Ice Punkers
20:15 Admirals – Royals
Sunday 8 November:
13:30 HC Vikings Petržalka – Knights
14:45 Pressburg Reapers – Alpha Hockey Team

Voting for the Superfanúšik Player of Round 9 is open until Saturday 7 November at 13:30 on the Player of the Round page.