Zaglebie Sosnowiec vs Poruba

Poruba struck first. Forward Tomáš Gřeš opened the scoring at 06:11 of the first period, finishing a play set up by Jakub Bartko and Vladimír Pindel to give the visitors a 0-1 lead they held through the first intermission. The middle frame passed without a goal despite chances at both ends.

Zagłębie levelled 46 seconds into the third period. Jakub Musioł redirected a pass from Bernacki past Poruba goaltender Bláha at 46:46 to make it 1-1. The hosts kept the pressure on and took their first lead at 51:56 when Patryk Ciepielewski scored, with assists from Kamil Biłas and Kacper Chmielewski (2-1).

Poruba refused to fold. With under two minutes to play and the extra attacker on, defenceman Jiří Roman set up forward Michal Svačina for a power-play goal at 58:15 to tie the game at 2-2.

But Zagłębie had the final word. Just 94 seconds after conceding the equaliser, Bernacki beat Bláha on a power play of their own at 59:49, with Finnish defenceman Atte Heikkinen providing the primary assist. The puck crossed the line with 11 ticks left on the clock, sealing a 3-2 win.

Mateusz Bernacki (Zagłębie Sosnowiec) — the man of the match. Scored the game-winner with 11 seconds left and also set up Musioł's equaliser early in the third. A goal and an assist in a high-leverage 94-second span.

Atte Heikkinen (Zagłębie Sosnowiec) — the Finnish defenceman logged the primary assist on Bernacki's winner and helped stabilise the blue line after a nervous first period.

Tomáš Gřeš (Poruba) — opened the scoring in the first period and was a constant threat on the wing for Petr Fabian's side.

Zagłębie trailed after one period (0-1) despite a relatively even first frame. The decisive shift came in the third, where the hosts outscored Poruba 3-1. The fact that both of Zagłębie's final two goals came on special teams (one for, one against in 94 seconds) underscores the frantic, power-play-heavy finish. Poruba will rue their inability to protect the 1-0 lead through the second period; they created little offence after the opening 20 minutes.

This was a pre-season friendly — neither side earns league points — but the result gives Zagłębie Sosnowiec a positive start to their exhibition schedule as they prepare for the 2026-27 Tauron Hokej Liga campaign. Poruba, preparing for the second-tier Czech Chance liga, showed resilience in fighting back to 2-2 but will be frustrated at conceding so late. For a betting audience, the pattern is worth noting: the fixture has produced over 2.5 goals in both known meetings, and both teams have scored in every encounter.

A classic pre-season friendly decided by special teams and late drama. Zagłębie's third-period surge suggests Lehtonen's side has depth it can call on, while Poruba's ability to score on the power play in the clutch is a positive sign despite the loss. The 11-second winner will be the takeaway but there are lessons for both benches.

Player of the match: Mateusz Bernacki (Zagłębie Sosnowiec)