RAHL1 Player of Round 3 Alex Ftáčnik: For me the main factor was a great performance by the whole team, led by Vizzi

In the third round of our top league, RAHL1, Black Jokers and Wild Hogs faced each other. After two rounds played, the “Boars” had two wins with a stunning goal difference of 20:7! In the first round the Jokers had a shooting spree against the “Pezinok ducks,” whom they beat soundly 9:1. They tied their second game 2:2 with champion WT Karaoke. So an even, high-quality contest was expected from this third-round game. Black Jokers had a string of players out, and even their goaltender Jaraba had to step in as a skater. With him the Jokers had 7 skaters. Yet even with such a depleted lineup they managed to beat Wild Hogs, and with 0 goals against at that. The player of the game, and of the third round as well, was Alex Ftáčnik, who had a hand in every one of his team’s goals, with a stat line of 1 goal scored and 4 assists. So we sat Alex down and asked him a few questions.

1. Alex, 4 points and a shutout for the team. What do you think was the main factor in the Round 3 win against a strong Wild Hogs side?

Alex: “For me the main factor was a great performance by the whole team, led by Vizzi, who pulled down the shutters, stopped a bunch of sure goals from a compact Hogs team and held the whole team up that way. I also definitely want to single out Keťo, who was firing live rounds off the one-timer like a howitzer 😀.”

2. You went into the game with only seven skaters. Was this game physically demanding for you? Do you play well when you get that much ice time?

Alex: “For all the guys who came to Black Jokers from the folded Ice Hawks team, me included, showing up with 7 bodies doesn’t feel like anything out of the ordinary, and we’ve been used to playing this way for several seasons now. Toward the end of the game, though, your strength naturally starts to fade a bit, and so we go with more defensive tactics by then.”

3. How would you describe your team’s offensive power? It’s clear that you and Nikolas have clicked and that you are a real terror for every opponent’s defense.

Alex: “Nikolas and I are in our 4th season together in RAHL, and since we also practice together during the week at various pickup games, we can find each other on the ice blind and in the dark. I feel like our games complement each other ideally, since Keťo plays very well positionally and can put a perfect pass into space for me, while I prefer playing on the move and shooting more often from different positions.”

4. Vizzi kept a zero in net against the offensive-minded Hogs. What do you make of your defense’s performance? After all, both you and Nikolas are offensive-minded players.

Alex: “Our defense, led by Šoto, put in a great and selfless performance in the game against the Hogs, and there was also one curiosity, when Ľubo Jaraba (officially our goalie) put on skater’s gear, so we were basically playing with 6 skaters, 1 of them a goalie in skater’s gear 😀.”

5. What did this result show you about your team’s strength, and what ambitions are you taking into the next rounds?

Alex: “The win against the Hogs showed us that even short on numbers we can play an even game against a quality opponent, and it stretched our unbeaten streak to 3 games in a row. This win put the whole team in a positive mood, and after the next rounds we’d like to stay in the top spots of the standings before the winter break.”

We thank Alex for the interview. 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