RAHL1 – Round 9: Wild Thing Karaoke 8 from 8, Petržalka beat Mad Vipers 7:1 and AHS keep their first clean sheet

Round 9 on Saturday 7 November completed the first half of the RAHL1 regular season – each of the nine teams has now played eight games. Leaders Wild Thing Karaoke finished it the way they started it: with a win. They were behind against AHC Pezinok Ducks after just 26 seconds, but won 9:3 and remain the only team in the league yet to drop a point.

Jerguš Fiačan's opening goal did not throw the leaders. Marián Horváth equalised in the 4th minute, Peter Pekár turned the game around 27 seconds later and Marcel Ulehla made it 3:1 in the 6th minute – three goals in two minutes and 16 seconds. Michal Sklár pulled one back, but then Ulehla scored short-handed while Alek Ivan was in the penalty box, and before half-time Patrik Trischitz and Tomáš Dujčík added two more – 6:2. After the break Marcel Kic reduced the deficit, but Wild Thing Karaoke replied with goals from Pekár and Jozef Kubo, and Trischitz completed the scoring in the final second of the game. Nine goals is a season high for Wild Thing Karaoke. Trischitz collected the most points (2+2), Ulehla had 2+1, Horváth 1+2 and Pekár scored twice. Fiačan, Sklár and Kic scored for the Ducks.

HK Petržalka are keeping pace two points behind the leaders. They beat Mad Vipers 7:1 and decided the game at the start of the second half. At the break they led only 1:0 thanks to Štefan Pillar's goal in the 15th minute, but afterwards they scored four goals in three minutes and 43 seconds: Dávid Chachalák, Patrik Hubek, Pillar again 15 seconds later and Matúš Baran made it 5:0. Matej Kopál pulled one back, but 42 seconds later Marek Hronec restored Petržalka's five-goal lead and Chachalák added the seventh. Hubek finished with 1+2, Chachalák with 2+1, Pillar scored twice, and Jozef Krafčák and Peter Benovič added two assists each. Petržalka have now scored 48 goals this season, the most in the league. Mad Vipers lost for the fifth game in a row.

Uličníci beat Wild Hogs 3:1 and strengthened their hold on third place with 11 points. Tomáš Griglák opened the scoring in the 12th minute and Dávid Diškanec equalised in the 16th. The decisive moment came shortly after the break: Kristián Badalov took advantage of a power play after Peter Kukan's penalty and put Uličníci 2:1 ahead in the 22nd minute. Wild Hogs could not find an equaliser and Dominik Vaniak sealed the win in the final second of the game. Griglák finished with 1+1, Peter Šulc assisted on the opening goal. For Wild Hogs, Tomáš Nekoranec and Filip Gruliš set up Diškanec's goal. Wild Hogs have now lost three games in a row.

AHS beat Neanderthals 5:0 and kept a clean sheet for the first time this season. Adam Hudok scored twice in the first half – the first on the power play in the 12th minute, the second in the 15th. After the break AHS settled the game within 17 seconds as Erik Koštuřik and Libor Červenka made it 4:0, and Martin Brutenič completed the scoring. Anton Holý assisted on four of the five goals. Hudok finished with 2+1, Koštuřik with 1+2. After their first win in the previous round, Neanderthals failed to score this time – they have now been held scoreless in five of their eight games this season.

Top scorers of the round. Patrik Trischitz (2+2) and Anton Holý (0+4) collected the most points. Patrik Hubek, Dávid Chachalák, Marcel Ulehla, Marián Horváth, Adam Hudok and Erik Koštuřik had three points each.

Black Jokers – Wild Thing Karaoke (round 5). Photo: RAHL

Standings after round nine. Wild Thing Karaoke lead with 16 points from eight wins and a goal difference of 42:14. HK Petržalka have 14 points – their only defeat came against the leaders in round 2, and they have won six in a row since. Both teams have conceded 14 goals, the fewest in the league. Uličníci are third with 11 points. The win over Neanderthals lifted AHS, with eight points, to fourth place ahead of Black Jokers (7), who had a bye. They are followed by Wild Hogs (6), AHC Pezinok Ducks (5), Mad Vipers (3) and Neanderthals (2).

Uličníci – AHC Pezinok Ducks (round 5). Photo: RAHL

Round facts. 29 goals were scored, an average of 7.25 per game (36 in round 8). In two games a goal came in the final second – both Vaniak and Trischitz scored at 39:59. Ulehla scored the round's only short-handed goal, while Badalov and Hudok found the net on the power play. The top two – Wild Thing Karaoke and HK Petržalka – scored 16 goals between them in this round and conceded four.

Round 10 – Saturday 14 November:
8:30 Wild Thing Karaoke – Mad Vipers
9:45 HK Petržalka – Black Jokers
11:00 Neanderthals – Uličníci
12:15 Wild Hogs – AHC Pezinok Ducks

The leaders will open the second half of the regular season against Mad Vipers, Petržalka host Black Jokers after their weekend off, and Uličníci face Neanderthals. AHS will have a bye. A detailed review of the first half of the season – the best players and the team numbers – can be found in a separate article.