Brno will come alive with blue-and-white apparel and enthusiastic hockey fans over the next two weeks, as HC Kometa Brno beat AC Sparta Praha to advance to the championship series against HC Dynamo Pardubice.
The best-of-seven title series begins on Thursday in Pardubice.
Brno will host games next Monday (21 April) and Tuesday (22 April).
On Sunday, Kometa was a big underdog in the semifinal series and in the final game, yet managed to beat Sparta in Prague, 1-3.
Hynek Zohorna put Brno on the board with a goal midway through the first period. Jakub Flek and Adam Zbořil both scored in the second period. Sparta got one back in the third period, but it was not enough.
“In the second period, we managed to jump to a three-goal lead and then we bet everything on defence and on the excellent performance of Michal Postava in goal,” said head coach Kamil Pokorný.
Kometa has won 13 national titles since the championship began in 1953. Most recently, the club won back-to-back titles in 2016–17 and in 2017–18.
The championship series will be played in a best-of-seven format, starting in Pardubice on Thursday (home team listed first):
- GAME 1, Thursday, 17 April: HC Dynamo Pardubice – HC Kometa Brno 6pm
- GAME 2, Friday, 18 April: HC Dynamo Pardubice – HC Kometa Brno 6pm
- GAME 3, Monday, 21 April: HC Kometa Brno – HC Dynamo Pardubice 7pm
- GAME 4, Tuesday, 22 April: HC Kometa Brno – HC Dynamo Pardubice 6pm
- GAME 5 (if necessary), Friday, 25 April: HC Dynamo Pardubice – HC Kometa Brno
- GAME 6 (if necessary), Sunday, 27 April: HC Kometa Brno – HC Dynamo Pardubice
- GAME 7 (if necessary), Tuesday, 29 April: HC Dynamo Pardubice – HC Kometa Brno
