Preliminary round of the hockey extraleague play off – 1st match: HC Olomouc – HC Energie Karlovy Vary, March 8, 2023, Olomouc. Interruption of game due to poor quality ice.
Olomouc – The opening game of the preliminary round of the hockey extra league play-off between Olomouc and Karlovy Vary, which was terminated on Wednesday due to problems with the ice after the first period at a score of 2:0 for the home team Hanáky, will finish today. It will start from the second period at 18:00. ČTK was informed about this by the director of the competition, Martin Loukota.
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Photo gallery: Play off hockey extra league 2023
The second duel was originally scheduled for today in Olomouc. The entire series will thus shift and change the format, as the next two matches will take place on the scheduled dates on Saturday and Sunday in Karlovy Vary. In the event that some of the teams do not advance in the three-win series in the shortest possible time, the series will move back to Olomouc for the fourth and possibly decisive fifth game. The latter would be played on Wednesday, March 15, while the other preliminary round series would end on Tuesday at the latest. The quarterfinals will begin on March 17.
“It was a very difficult decision. The clubs agreed that the series will normally continue with today's match in Olomouc and on Saturday and Sunday it will be played in Karlovy Vary. Subsequently, it would then be played twice in Olomouc, today's (originally the second) the match is actually rescheduled as match number 4 to Tuesday, March 14, and the fifth match would be played in Olomouc one day later. The format has thus changed from 2-2-1 to 1-2-2,” explained Loukota.
He admitted that the attitudes of the clubs about finishing the first leg differed. “Regarding that yesterday, the clubs did not agree and I had to make the decision as the director of the extra league. In accordance with the rules, I decided that the situation after the first period applies and the match will be played with the second period continuing today. The final decision was so on me,” said Loukota.
On Wednesday, after the ice rink was modified by a roller during the first break, a groove remained on the ice in Olomouc. The judges delayed the start of the second half several times. After a delay of more than two hours from the end of the opening act, the match was finally ended prematurely despite efforts to correct and smooth the ice, with the fact that his fate will be decided today.
According to one of the main referees of Wednesday's match, another possibility was Jakub Shindela to play a new game from the beginning. There was also speculation in the media about a possible suspension for Karlovy Vary.
“It's always better when the match ends than it starts all over again,” Olomouc coach Jan Tomajko said on the iSport.cz website. “I wasn't afraid of the suspension, I don't think it was even in the game. It's good that the decision will be made on the ice, that's how it should be in sports,” he added.
