Liberec take slim lead into Ostrava

Vitkovice were quite close to escaping Liberec with a draw, which would have meant it all would have been decided on their own home ice. Instead, Milan Bartovic's late shothanded goal gives Bili Tygri the advantage over their Czech rivals heading into the last 60 minutes. 

“There were lots of chances on both sides,” Bartovic said. “Vítkovice played really well, especially in their defensive zone. They got a few opportunities on breakaways, but Roman Will did well. It’s too bad we couldn’t score in the first or the second periods, but we are still happy about the 1-0 win.”

“The football-like score is almost a tradition for us, as many our games have ended up up lately,” said Vitkovice head coach Jakub Petr. “I’m just a bit concerned with our offensive productivity. We had several odd-man rushes, but could not score a goal. Roman Will did very well.”

The difference is paper-thin, but Vitkovice will have to beat Will at least once in 60 minutes to at least force the series to extra time. The Liberec goalie anticipates a big offensive push on him.

“It is still very close and anything can happen in Ostrava, but we hope we make it to the Quarter-Finals,” said Will. 

Read about the first game HERE.