It will be ‘winner takes all’ next week in Brno, as JYP and Kometa played out an eventful 3-3 draw in Jyväskylä.

The visitors got off to a perfect start, scoring two goals in as many minutes to take a useful lead. Jan Süss was the lucky recipient of a howler from home netminder Jussi Olkinuora as he dropped the puck in the crease for the young forward to tape home with six minutes played. Then with JYP changing, Süss was put through on the breakaway to double the lead at 7:50.

The home side got on the board at 15:45, Antti Suomela making use of the power play to make it 2-1 just before the break. Into the middle period, and halfway through JYP would eventually level. Kometa again with a man in the box, this time a slapshot from Jarkko Immonen after his team won the faceoff. Tied game at 29:44. However, Süss was again to be the man of the moment for the Czechs – another horrible defensive mistake allowing him to capitalize and complete his hat trick at 36:14.

The final period was a patchy affair, penalties on both sides disrupting the rhythm of the game. A five-minute Kometa PP should have seen them extend their advantage, but they let it slip away without so much as a shot on target. As the clock ticked down the Czechs were made to pay – crisp passing from JYP in the attacking zone and eventually Mikko Mäenpää finding the net to tie things up with 56:43 played.

At this stage, the hosts were looking the more dangerous, and despite a late PP they were kept out by Kometa who will be happy to take a draw back home with them – but no doubt disappointed to have twice surrendered the lead.