HK Nitra move top of Slovakia's Tipos Extraliga after third straight win

BRATISLAVA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- HK Nitra became the only undefeated team in Slovakia's ice hockey Tipos Extraliga after their third consecutive victory in the third round of matches.

The visitors from Spisska Nova Ves were up 2-0 just 45 seconds into the second period but HK Nitra managed to rally and level things up in the final period, forcing the game into overtime and eventually a penalty shootout, in which the home team triumphed 3-2. Visiting goaltender Marcel Melichercik did his best, saving a whopping 41 shots on goal but only keeping out one penalty shot.

HKM Zvolen put the hammer down against HC Slovan Bratislava early on, and three goals in the first period laid a solid foundation for its 4-2 victory. Zvolen's veteran forward Juraj Mikus was in the thick of the action, finishing the night with one goal and three assists.

HC Nove Zamky forward Juraj Siska tied the game against HC '05 Banska Bystrica in the middle of the final period with a one-timer, but two minutes later the visiting forward Chase Berger scored the winner by redirecting his teammate's blue-line attempt into the net, securing a 3-2 victory for Banska Bystrica.

HC Kosice is now the only team without a victory in the 2021/22 season. Jakub Cibak's goal just 105 seconds into the game sparked hope for the visitors but they failed to get on the board for the remaining 58 minutes, and HK Dukla Ingema Michalovce's two powerplay goals were enough for the home team to grab their second victory in three rounds and move into the top six.

Both newcomers came up empty-handed in the third round as HC Grotto Presov failed to beat last season's runner-up HK Poprad, although not for lack of trying. Presov managed to tie the game twice, but the visitors scored a third and Presov did not manage to rally this time, despite pulling the goalie in the final moments. Poprad scored an empty-netter instead and set the final score to 4-2 with 11 seconds left on the clock.

After finishing the previous season with a staggering 14 defeats in a row and adding two more at the beginning of the current season, MHK 32 Liptovsky Mikulas succeeded in breaking the spell and crushed HK Dukla Trencin 4-0 on Tuesday with four different scorers.