BRATISLAVA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- With the majority of teams remaining in quarantine because of infections by the new coronavirus, the Slovak ice-hockey premiership Tipos Extraliga marches on with yet another incomplete and spectator-free round of only two fixtures.
The Hockey Club of the Town of Zvolen (HKM Zvolen) is the only franchise with six matches to its name in the new season of Tipos Extraliga marked by the coronavirus pandemic.
No wonder that the team from the central region of the country is leading the rankings, although by only a single point after losing to Nove Zamky in a shootout on Tuesday.
In an exceptionally goalless match, the regulation and also overtime produced no goals on either side with both goalies stealing the limelight.
Especially the visiting goalie Robin Rahm from Sweden had a great night, defusing 33 shots directed at his post by Nove Zamky.
At least the shootout offered plenty of drama, as both teams scored just twice in the first five attempts and the lottery had to continue.
Nove Zamky's 21-year-old forward Samuel Zahradnik became the tie-breaker, scoring the deciding goal in the eighth series, nudging his seventh-ranked team closer to the top half in the rankings.
After a successful quarantine and unsuccessful entry into the new season in the previous round on Sunday when Kosice lost to Zvolen, the eight-time champion managed to win its first match, defeating Miskolc 4-1.
The only Hungarian team in the Slovak league opened the score, hoping for its first victory after three unsuccessful attempts, but Kosice's Czech forward Pavel Klhufek answered with a spectacular hat-trick to single-handedly crush all of Miskolc's hope and sent it down two spots to tenth place in the rankings. Kosice moved to eighth. Enditem
