HC Pilsen had already secured top spot in Group H, and their 6-4 win over HC05 Banská Bystrica means that they remain the only perfect team in the Champions Hockey League with 15 points in five games. David Stach continued his hot hand with two goals and two assists, and now leads the overall scoring race with 10 points.

Needing a win to stay alive, Banská Bystrica came out hard to start and opened the scoring on Robert Varga’s deflection at 2:15. Pilsen quickly responded, however, with two goals from Stach - the first one on the powerplay and the second on a nice wrister through the five-hole of Samuel Baroš.

Lukáš Kaňák made it 3-1 before the end of the first period and Jakub Pour made it 4-1 in the second, and it looked like Pilsen would run away with it, but ex-Indian Ján Sýkora on the powerplay and then Gilbert Gabor on a strange rebound that Dmitri Milchakov couldn’t handle made it a one-goal game with still 14:47 to play.

The teams traded goals in the late going and Jaroslav Kracík’s rebound goal with less than three minutes to play put the game away for Pilsen, and eliminated Banská Bystrica’s chances of advancing.