Sparta Beat Vítkovice in Pre-Season Clash, Hradec Keeps Perfect Record

Prague hockey club Sparta defeated Ostrava's Vítkovice 3:0 in a friendly match played in Holešovice in front of 3,785 spectators. Meanwhile, the game in Hradec Králové turned into a real shootout, with the home side Mountfield beating Liberec's White Tigers 6:4.

In Sparta's match, goalkeeper Josef Kořenář kept a clean sheet. The home side's goals came from Ronald Knot and a brace from Blümel, the national team representative who joined the ambitious Prague club from Boston's farm team.

Vítkovice Still Goalless in Pre-Season

Vítkovice are now led by new French coach Yorick Treille, who himself played for Sparta between 2010 and 2012. The Ostrava side have yet to score a single goal in their pre-season matches, following a scoreless game in Olomouc as well. Vítkovice will have a chance to bounce back already on Thursday at 16:00, when the return leg against Sparta takes place in Prague.

Goal Fest in Hradec Králové

A genuine battle unfolded in Hradec Králové. Mountfield quickly opened the scoring through Robert Kousal, but Liberec turned the game around, taking the lead twice. Late in the second period, the home side went ahead again thanks to goals from Radil and a second strike from Kousal. Jakub Rychlovský, back in the White Tigers' lineup, leveled the score for the visitors, but a crucial turnover by Liberec in the decisive moments allowed Dominik Pavlík to put the hosts back in front. The final 6:4 victory for the East Bohemians was sealed by Mudrák, who found the empty net.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz