Pilsen Suffers First Loss of Season, Falls 4-1 too České Budějovice in Late-Game Collapse
Pilsen, Czech Republic – September [Date – infer from context, likely early September 2023] - HC Plzeň 1929 suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 4-1 to České Budějovice in a game marred by a late-game collapse. despite a competitive start, pilsen conceded three unanswered goals in the final period, sealing their fate. The loss marks a significant setback for the West bohemian team, previously undefeated in their last twenty games and forty matches.
The game began with a flurry of action. Early on, Malík of Pilsen denied a scoring chance from Harris. České Budějovice responded with a goal from Robert Lantoši, shooting from the right circle.Pilsen’s Holešinský attempted a swift reply but missed the net. Later, a shot from Zámorský was initially allowed, but a coach’s challenge successfully overturned the goal due to an alleged offside position.
České budějovice then enjoyed a lengthy two-man advantage, lasting 100 seconds, but failed to capitalize. Klouček, Pilsen’s goaltender, made several key saves, including denying Lalantte twice at the left pole. Ordoš nearly scored for České Budějovice at the end of the period, but his shot was stopped by Malík.
The second period saw Novák nearly score for Pilsen, but Lantoši extended České Budějovice’s lead with his second goal of the match. Pilsen had opportunities on a subsequent power play,but Škoda and Mikko Petman both missed the net.
The final period saw a dramatic shift in momentum. despite chances from Ordoš and Olesen, České Budějovice extended their lead when Klouček misjudged a shot from Strnad, allowing the puck to enter the net. Luck favored the visitors later in the period when a shot from Pavel Novák deflected off players in the goal area and overwhelmed Malík. Martin Beránek sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, confirming the 4-1 final score.
Pilsen will look to rebound from this defeat with upcoming road games against Mountfield and Třinec, followed by a home game against Pardubice on Sunday, September [Date – infer from context] at 16:30.
