Mandát's Goal, Will's Shutout — Pardubice Reach Third Straight Final

Pardubice defeated Sparta Prague 1:0 at Enteria Arena in the deciding seventh game of the Czech Extraliga semi-final play-off, taking the series 4-3 and booking a third straight appearance in the final. The lone goal came from Jan Mandát in the first period; goaltender Roman Will turned aside every Sparta shot for a 60-minute shutout.

HC Dynamo Pardubice – HC Sparta Praha 1:0 (1:0, 0:0, 0:0)

Goals: 14. Mandát (Lauko) –

Goalies: Will (Pardubice) – Kovář (Sparta Prague). Penalties: 2:0. Power plays: 0:0. Attendance: 10,194 (sold out).

/series: 4-3 Pardubice/

Mandát strikes early

Pardubice opened the scoring at the back end of the first period when Jakub Lauko slipped the puck across the slot and Jan Mandát finished. The goal — Pardubice's first of the night — turned out to be the only one anyone needed.

Will closes the door

Roman Will was magnificent, and ultimately decisive. The Pardubice netminder held the line through two Sparta power plays and a sustained third-period push, recording his first Game 7 shutout of his career. Across the entire series Will and Sparta's Jakub Kovář had traded duels; the seventh game was Will's masterpiece.

Pešán: "We caught the tempo"

After the game, Pardubice coach Filip Pešán was relieved more than euphoric. "We were somewhat nervous at the start, but we caught the tempo and caught their players," he said. The result extends Pardubice's run of consecutive finals to three.

What it means

Pardubice now face Třinec — who closed out Karlovy Vary in five games on the same evening Game 5 of this series was played — in the Extraliga final. For Sparta, an exhausting seven-game series ends one win short of a final the franchise has not reached since 2025. Pardubice and Třinec, the two most decorated Czech clubs of the past decade, will square off for the title beginning later this week.