Michal Maličký: “Honestly, the points are nice, but what matters more is that we’re riding a winning wave.”

After Round 10, the name on everyone’s lips in RAHL3 is Michal Maličký of HC LEV Senec. Against Ľadoborci he had a 6-point game, his team won 8:0 and stretched its streak to three games without allowing a goal. Maličký also comfortably leads the scoring race for the entire competition with 26 points. In the interview he talks about what is behind the scoring explosion, how Senec’s game has changed, why goaltender Aďo Nogely deserves the biggest share of the credit for the run of zeros and how far they want to go as a team in terms of results.

1. A 6-point game, an excellent performance. Have you ever managed something like that before?

Michal: “We pulled it off once with Rišo Hajduk (Andy knows very well who that is😀) in the VW league; we both had 7 or 8 points there, so in RAHL there’s still some catching up to do – at least there’s personal motivation to match it.”

2. You beat Ľadoborci fairly easily, 8:0. What decided your lopsided win?

Michal: “We started enjoying the game more and having fun with hockey; we shuffled the lines a bit so the strength would be spread to the other lines too, and it’s working.”

3. You have now gone 3 games in a row without allowing a goal. Who deserves the bigger share of the credit for that, the goaltender or your defense?

Michal: “Ado Nogely is definitely the main figure behind those zeros, and so that he doesn’t get bored during games and stays alert, every now and then we give him a chance to stop something, so he doesn’t get that zero for free :)”

4. Things are going very well for you personally this season. You already have 26 points to your name and comfortably lead the scoring table for the entire RAHL3 competition. Can you keep up this pace in the next games as well?

Michal: “Honestly, the points are nice, but what matters more is that we’re riding a winning wave, which I hope will last a few more games, and that we’ll battle the Rockets for first place in the group.”

Michal Maličký is currently keeping HC Senec on a winning wave, but it is clear from his words that personal stats are not the priority. What matters is that the team is playing loose, having fun with hockey and sticking to a solid system, thanks to which it has not allowed a goal in three games. If Senec keeps up the pace it has set and its key players stay in form, the battle with the Rockets for first place in RAHL3 could be one of the main storylines of the rest of the season.

The Player of the Round gets a €20 voucher from our partner WILD THING and also a voucher from partner LMTAuto.sk, who will take professional care of your car. From league partner Diamant Sóda he receives a drinks voucher worth €30.