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Slovan Defeats Trenčín 5:3
Ryan Korczak opened the scoring at 5:38 in the first period as HC Slovan Bratislava defeated HK Dukla Trenčín 5:3 in the Tipsport liga, halting a three-game skid in front of 5,673 spectators.
Slovan entered the matchup in third place with 30 points, sitting one point behind second-place Žilina while having played an extra game, according to Sportnet. The hosts dropped three straight contests prior to Wednesday, most recently falling 2:3 in overtime against Poprad.
“Tentoraz Slovan už vyhrá. Dôvodom je séria prehier, ale majú dobrý tím. Musia sa trochu rehabilitovať u ľudí, keďže im nevyšli tie predošlé zápasy doma,” Juraj Valach said.
Trenčín arrived holding fourth place with 29 points on a four-game winning streak. The visitors previously defeated Zvolen 3:1, Michalovce 3:0, Slovan 4:3, and Liptovský Mikuláš 3:2 via a shootout.
Slovan leads and Dukla responds during scoring shifts
Korczak struck at 17:28 of the opening frame off an assist from Ryan Dmowski. Vojtech Zeleňák extended the lead to 2:0 at 22:21 before Liam Pecararo made it 3:0 at 25:45 with a lob over the goaltender.
Dukla responded when MILOŠ Bubela scored at 27:41 following a shot from Filip Krivošík that hit the post. Andrej Kudrna then cut the deficit to 3:2 at 41:46 by scoring a shorthanded goal during a five-minute major penalty assessed to Tomáš Dudáš.
Martin Kalis tied the game 3:3 at 47:59 by deflecting a point shot from Ryan Merkley. Slovan reclaimed the lead just 11 seconds later when Ján Petriska intercepted a clearing attempt and shot the puck off goaltender Dávid Hrenák into the net at 48:10.
Dmowski sealed the 5:3 final score at 52:54 by converting a backhand deke through Hrenák’s pads after receiving a pass from Pecararo.
Match Statistics
Penalty minutes finished at 2 to 3 against Slovan and Trenčín respectively. Neither team capitalized on power plays, while Trenčín scored once while shorthanded.
| Team | Goals | Shots/Details |
|---|---|---|
| HC Slovan Bratislava | 5 | Scorers: Korczak, Zeleňák, Pecararo, Petriska, Dmowski |
| HK Dukla Trenčín | 3 | Scorers: Bubela, Kudrna, Kalis |
Who coaches the teams, how many fans attended, and who officiated?
Who are the head coaches for Slovan and Trenčín?
Bradley Tapper coaches HC Slovan Bratislava, while Todd Woodcroft directs the bench for HK Dukla Trenčín.
How many spectators attended the match?
A crowd of 5,673 fans filled the stands for the 17. kolo fixture.
Who officiated the game?
Výleta and Štefik served as the main referees, assisted by linesmen Vystavil and Hercog.
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