Sokolov vs Slavia Prague

A cagey opening period ended goalless despite chances at both ends, with goaltenders Adam Dybal (Sokolov) and Jaroslav Pavelka (Slavia) each making key saves.

Slavia broke the deadlock at 23:39 of the second period. Defenceman Jan Piskáček wound up from the blue line, and the puck caromed to Stanislav Tichý at the left side of the crease, who forced it over the line on his second attempt. Milan Čermák also drew a secondary assist.

Sokolov hit back in the final minute of the middle frame. With 16 seconds left before the intermission, Robert Šlechta took a feed from Jan Kučera on the right side and beat Pavelka from close range to make it 1–1 at 39:44.

The third period erupted with two goals in 62 seconds. Klym Lučkin gave Sokolov their first lead at 42:08, redirecting a Štěpán Csamangó shot from the slot through traffic. But Slavia responded immediately — Martin Šťovíček tapped in a Jan Piskáček pass from the lip of the crease at 43:09 to restore parity.

Neither side could find a winner in regulation, setting up a 3-on-3 overtime. Sokolov's discipline cracked at 61:16 when Klym Lučkin was called for tripping. Slavia needed just 62 seconds of the power play to decide it.

Matěj Beran carried the puck into the offensive zone and found Tomáš Havlín above the circles. Havlín wound up and fired a one-timer past Dybal's glove to seal the 3–2 victory.

• Tomáš Havlín (Slavia Prague) — The OT winner on the power play capped a composed all-around performance. Player of the match.
• Jan Piskáček (Slavia Prague) — Two primary assists (on Tichý's opener and Šťovíček's equaliser), instrumental in both regulation goals.
• Klym Lučkin (Sokolov) — Scored the goal that gave Sokolov their only lead of the night, though his tripping penalty in OT proved costly.
• Robert Šlechta (Sokolov) — Clinical finish to equalise late in the second period and shift momentum.

Slavia were penalised only three times to Sokolov's six, and their power-play unit made the decisive strike in overtime — the only PP goal of the game. Sokolov failed to convert any of their three man advantages. The 6–3 penalty disparity and Slavia's 1-for-1 power-play efficiency (the one chance that mattered most) tells the story of a game decided by discipline at the margins. The first period produced no goals but set a physical tone: both teams tested the opposition netminders but couldn't break through.

The result extends Slavia's unbeaten run against Sokolov to four matches (including last season's league meetings). For Slavia, this was their fifth pre-season fixture — they now hold a 3–2 record (wins over Sokolov home and away, plus a 4–0 shutout of Kolín; losses to Tábor in a shootout and Kolín at home). Both sides compete in the Maxa Liga, the Czech second tier. Slavia's next pre-season fixture is against HC Litoměřice on 1 September at home.

A pre-season friendly that had genuine competitive bite. Slavia showed the resilience to come from behind twice and the composure to capitalise on a single power play in overtime. Sokolov will rue the missed chances on the man advantage and the costly penalty that undid their hard work. For a late-August friendly, both sides already look close to regular-season sharpness.