Pilsen Defeats Liberec 3-1 in Season Opener, Powered by Petman‘s Return
PLZEŇ, Czech Republic – HC Škoda Plzeň kicked off the 2025-2026 Tipsport Extraliga season wiht a decisive 3-1 victory over Bílí Tygři Liberec on Wednesday, September 10th. The win was bolstered by the return of forward Mikko Petman, who recently recovered from an injury.The game saw a relatively quiet start for Pilsen goaltender Nick Malík, before Liberec’s Raško-Raško-Rudáš forced him to adjust his mask.Jakub Lion of Liberec nearly broke the deadlock with a scoring chance, but Pilsen’s defense held firm. Despite a power play prospect, Liberec failed to capitalize, and Šiler even earned a power play for pilsen, though Adam Měchura’s attempt during the advantage went wide. Radim Šimek tested Malík with two speedy shots, both stopped with composure. Late in the second period, Jaspor Weatherby capitalized on a defensive lapse by Pilsen, scoring to give the home team a 1-0 lead.
The third period began with a fast pace, but Liberec couldn’t convert on a rush. Dominik Simon’s backhand attempt was thwarted, and Najman’s shot was easily handled by Malík. Jakub Šiler extended Pilsen’s lead, catching Kváča off guard. Zachar had a chance to score while shorthanded,but was unsuccessful. With under two minutes remaining, Liberec called a timeout and pulled Kváča for an extra attacker, but Pilsen’s defense held strong, and Adam Měchura sealed the victory with a goal into the empty net.
The final score was 3-1 for Pilsen. The team will next face Olomouc on Friday.
[blockquote class="twitter-tweet"]Winning !!!!! 🔵⚪️
The first match of the season for the full number of points! #modrobil | #plzen https://t.co/niOE2zai0h
- HC Skoda Plzeň (@hcplzen) https://twitter.com/HCPlzen/status/1965846643015823557 September 10, 2025[/blockquote]
blockquote class="twitter-tweet"]VJK">pic.twitter.com/gxntJpKVJK
- Tipsport Extraliga (@telhcz) [https://twitter.com/telhcz/status/1965813965512200694 September 10, 2025[/blockquote]
Photo: Jiří Sekáč.
