If there was a difference maker in Sparta's important 5–2 win over Geneve-Servette on Saturday afternoon, it was 20-year-old winger Martin Reway. He got two good chances to score and buried them both, including a penalty shot in the third period, to help his team claim a CHL playoff spot.
by Karolina Antosova
PRAGUE – It was obvious already before the start of the Sparta–Geneve game that only one of them could advance to the Round of 32. First place in the Group M had already been taken by Storhamar Hamar with 9 points. It was a surprise to everybody, including Sparta's Martin Reway: “I thought in the beginning that Geneve and our team would advance. Actually, no one knew anything about the Norwegian team,” Reway admitted after Saturday's game.
To make the playoffs Sparta needed one point, while Geneve-Servette’s only chance to go further was to win in regulation time. The Swiss team fell behind early, then showed great resilience to come back in the second period, but then Jan Buchtele made it 3–2 for Sparta. “I think that was the decisive moment of the game,” said Reway, who scored Sparta’s first and fourth goals.
How important was the first goal, which you actually scored on the first good scoring chance in the game?
I think it helped us in the beginning. We calmed down for a while. But as you know, it wasn’t that important, because we lost the lead as they made it 2–2 in the second period. So we had to start from the beginning again, it was little bit hectic. But luckily we scored a goal to go back up 3–2 just a few seconds later. Then we were able to control the game.
Geneve scored their second goal shorthanded, but at the end of that same power play Buchtele made it 3–2. Do you think that was the decisive moment of the game?
Probably, yes. I know how tough is to be losing by two goals and when you think you’re back in the game you’re suddenly losing again. It’s terrible for your psyche and maybe it decided the game.
Then you made it a two-goal difference in the third period on a penalty shot. Did you know before the shot what you were going to do?
Yes, I knew.
And did you do it exactly the way you wanted? On both of your scoring chances?
Well, I scored two goals, so yes. The first situation was quite quick. Moreover it was little bit complicated, because I took the pass in my skates. But it was a good pass by Jaroslav Hlinka behind Geneve’s defence, where I was waiting for the puck. Then it was easy to score. In the second situation I had more time to think how to do it. The goalie was quite far out of the net, so I knew what to do.
Watch the higlights of the game, including Reway's two goals, here.
Near the end of the game Geneve was quite dangerous on the power play, even though they were losing 4–2. Did you notice that they weren't giving up?
Yes, we knew something like that could happen. They had no other choice – they had to win in regulation time. They had nothing to lose, so it was obvious they would go for it by pulling the goalie.
And what do you think about the group standings? Everyone thought that you and Geneve would be fighting for first place and Storhamar would be the underdog, but it happened vice versa.
Sometimes it happens like that. I also though in the beginning that Geneve and our team would advance. Actually, no one knew anything about the Norwegian team. But they show real hunger for victory and they deserve to be in the playoffs.
Did you feel any pressure before the game? That if you didn’t advance, it would be a disaster?
Actually, the only pressure we had was what we put on ourselves. If we didn’t win, it would be our fault. We complicated things ourselves when we allowed that goal in the last minute of the game here against Storhamar. I think that if we finished that game tied, we would have advanced already last week. So now we were a little bit under pressure, but we coped with that successfully.