Debutant Rabčan Named Man of the Match as Kometa Beat Hradec Králové

Brno's Kometa hockey club claimed a 4:1 win over Hradec Králové in round three of the Czech extraliga, with Slovak goaltender Rabčan — making his debut for the team — named man of the match. The news was shared by head coach and club owner Libor Zábranský.

"His first game in front of our home crowd wasn't easy. He handled it perfectly, stopped a mountain of difficult shots, and we're delighted about that," Zábranský said. According to him, the team started the game sluggishly, but reshuffled their lineup in the second period and delivered what he called a "superb, fighting performance."

Goalie Rotation and Svozil's Return

In the same game, the coach fielded defenseman Stanislav Svozil for the first time this season following his return from North America — he had unexpectedly been left out of the squad for the first two games. Zábranský declined to elaborate on the situation, saying only: "We have a deep roster, I won't comment on it further."

This time it was Aleš Stezka's turn to rest after playing the first two extraliga matches. That opened the door for Rabčan, who was preferred even over Jan Kavan. "We made that call, but it doesn't mean anyone is being favored. We have three top-level goalkeepers and discuss this every day," the coach explained.

Rabčan moved to Brno in the spring after the best season of his career in the Slovak extraliga with Banská Bystrica. The Levoča native caught the eye of the national team coaching staff and earned his first call-up to the World Championship, where he served as third-choice goalkeeper in Switzerland this spring.

An Early Goal and a Steady Response

The Czech extraliga debut didn't start well for the netminder: just two minutes into the game, visiting Hradec Králové took the lead when Kevin Klíma's precise pass from behind the net set up Aleš Jergl, who buried it into an empty corner.

"After such a quick goal, all sorts of thoughts race through your head — what if there's another one, and then what? Thank God, right after that there was another big chance, which I managed to stop, and my confidence grew from there," Rabčan said. He noted that his teammates cleared the zone well in front of him, and from the second period on, the game "flowed" for him.

In the second period Kometa levelled the score, pinning their opponents deep in their own zone — American forward Luke Witkowski found the net with a precise shot. The visitors from eastern Bohemia were more active in attack, but the hosts sealed the win in the third period: first Adam Zbořil converted a penalty shot awarded after a foul against him, and then, in the 56th minute, captain Jakub Flek finished off a two-on-one break to secure the victory.

"We were efficient and happy to take three points," Zábranský summed up.

A Debut Earned via the Farm Club

Rabčan was named the game's best player despite having played only one preseason friendly for Kometa a month earlier, at the Dolomiten Cup. Due to his light workload, he — along with Kavan — had been loaned out for one-off matches to first-league side Přerov, where he had already featured in a match that ended in a 1:3 loss to Pardubice's reserve team.

"We were told there are three of us goalkeepers and they want to spread the workload somehow. It worked out that I played one friendly, and to stay sharp, they sent me to Přerov. That's good for game practice — it's not the same as training. It definitely helped, and the result came today," the goaltender reflected.

Last season's starter, Stezka, has seen the most ice time so far this season, having played four preseason friendlies — including an unfinished match against Třinec — in addition to two extraliga games. Kavan has played two matches, while Rabčan has played just one.

"The coaches prepared me for the fact that things could go different ways and that I needed to be patient. I tried to stay mentally balanced — everyone wants to play. When I was told yesterday that I'd be in goal, it made me really happy, and I told myself we'd definitely win," the goalkeeper shared.

He himself doesn't know how the competition for the starting spot will unfold from here. "The day before a game, we're always told who's playing," added the Slovak goaltender, who clearly made a statement with his performance in his debut match. Kometa's next game is on Friday in Olomouc.

Read also: Brno: what to see and where to go

Source: sport.cz