CLASH OF TITANS: PARDUBICE AND KOMETA FACE OFF IN BATTLE FOR HOCKEY THRONE

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April 17, 2025

The Czech Extraliga will finally crown a new champion. After six years of Třinec's dominance, two hockey powerhouses with rich histories – Pardubice and Kometa Brno – will compete for the Masaryk Cup. The final series starts tonight in eastern Bohemia, with fans across the country anticipating a dramatic spectacle full of emotions, twists, and hockey artistry.

"It's a huge challenge for us, but also a chance to write a new chapter in club history," says Pardubice captain Roman Červenka before the start of the series. With 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists), he leads the productivity charts for the entire playoffs. The experienced national team forward drives Pardubice's offensive machine, which has been steamrolling its opponents throughout the knockout stages.

Dynamo enters the finals as a slight favorite thanks to impressive statistics. Coach Marek Zadina's players have scored 32 goals in the playoffs with an incredible average of 3.56 goals per game. No other team in this year's knockout phase has exceeded the threshold of three goals per match. Their offensive strength is complemented by excellent defense, especially on the penalty kill, where Pardubice boasts an 89.29% success rate – again, the best figure among all teams.

A major question remains about which lineup the East Bohemian team will field. "Martin Kaut and Ryan Weatherby will definitely be missing, and we'll decide on Lukáš Sedlák and Lukáš Radil just before the game," Zadina revealed at the pre-match press conference. Despite these absences, Dynamo has sufficient squad depth.

Kometa Brno flew into the finals after a dramatic seven-game battle with Sparta, whom they managed to defeat on their ice in the decisive match. "Nobody believed in us, but we went for advancement from the first shift," recalls Brno leader Peter Mueller, who with six goals ranks among the top scorers of the playoffs.

The Brno team relies on team cohesion, self-sacrifice, and excellent defense. With 236 blocked shots, Kometa has no competition in the playoffs. "Each of us is ready to sacrifice our body for the team. That's our style – we fight for each other," explains Libor Zábranský, who leads the Radegast Index statistic measuring fighting spirit and self-sacrifice with 52 points.

Interestingly, both teams can rely on excellent goaltenders. Roman Will in Pardubice's net achieves a save percentage of 95.65% with an average of just 1.19 goals conceded per game. On the other side of the ice will be 23-year-old Michal Postava, who has become the surprise of this year's playoffs and keeps Kometa afloat even in crisis situations with a 94.51% save rate.

What works in Brno's favor is the head-to-head record of both teams in the regular season. Out of four games, Kometa managed to win three times, although twice it was after overtime. All mutual duels were extremely balanced and ended with a difference of just one goal. "The regular season is gone; this is a completely different competition," warns Červenka against overestimating these statistics.

The last time the two teams met in the finals was in 2012, when Pardubice won 4-2 on games and claimed their last title to date. Thirteen long years have passed since then, and the hungry Pardubice fans believe that now is the time to return to the hockey throne. Kometa, on the other hand, longs to build on the golden era of 2017-2018, when they won two titles in a row under the leadership of Libor Zábranský Sr.

The final series promises a fascinating clash of hockey philosophies – Pardubice's offensive whirlwind against Brno's defensive fortress. The series is expected to be extremely balanced and may well go to a seventh decisive game. The first match begins today at 6:00 PM at the enteria arena in Pardubice.

We thank OPTA for providing the statistical data.

Photo: source XYZ