Benatky vs HC Vrchlabi

Benátky stormed out of the blocks. Havlas opened the scoring at 12:20, converting after a feed from Zajíček and Straka. Just 41 seconds later, Rulc made it 2–0 from a Vosmík assist.

Home goaltender Adam Ebenstreit had minimal work in the opening stages, while his counterpart Jakub Červinka faced wave after wave of attacks. At 17:30, Pinkas finished a Havlas–Sláma combination for 3–0, and only 70 seconds later Klodner added a fourth from Rulc's pass to make it 4–0 after 19 minutes.

Vrchlabí responded early in the middle frame. Nezbeda scored at 20:25 from Chalupa's pass to cut the deficit to 4–1, briefly raising hopes of a comeback.

But Benátky hit back while shorthanded. Milan Antoš intercepted a Vrchlabí pass, broke up the ice and found Martin Dubský, who beat Červinka forehand to the left post for 5–1.

In the 39th minute, Zajíček benefited from a fortunate deflection — his pass across the crease went in off a defender's skate for 6–1. Vrchlabí had the last word of the period though, as Jan Boukal unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top-left corner after Zeman's setup, making it 6–2 at the second intermission.

Benátky controlled the third period without overexerting themselves. At 45:51, Beran's point shot was not held by Červinka, and Martin Dubský buried the rebound from a tight angle for 7–2.

Vrchlabí struck back at 49:55 when Matěj Beneš intercepted a sloppy Doležal clearance and finished a breakaway to make it 7–3. But Pavel Douša had the final say at 58:23, skating around a defender and feeding the puck through the crease — it went in off a Vrchlabí stick for the 8–3 final.

The first period decided everything. Benátky scored four goals from limited chances inside 19 minutes, capitalising on every Vrchlabí mistake. For the visitors — playing their first pre-season game of the 2026/27 campaign — the early onslaught was too much to recover from.

Martin Dubský (Benátky) — Two goals, including a shorthanded strike that killed any Vrchlabí momentum early in the second period. His movement and finishing were the difference.

Šimon Rulc (Benátky) — One goal and one assist. A constant threat on the forecheck, he was involved in two of the four first-period goals.

Adam Ebenstreit (Benátky) — Made key saves in the second period when Vrchlabí pushed, notably denying Michal Machač on a breakaway and stopping point shots through traffic.

Jakub Zajíček (Benátky) — One goal and one assist. Unlucky to leave the game early after a heavy hit in the third period (56th minute), but his contributions were decisive.

The 8–3 scoreline flatters Benátky's dominance slightly. Four goals in the first period from limited opportunities reflected Vrchlabí's defensive disorganisation, not sustained pressure. The second period was much more even (2–2), but by then the damage was done. Only four penalties were called all game and no power-play goals were scored — Benátky's shorthanded strike was the only special-teams goal. The low penalty count and clean game reflect the pre-season nature of the fixture.

For Benátky nad Jizerou — who finished 7th in the Czech 2. liga last season with 59 points — this is their second pre-season win after a 4–3 victory at HC Kobra Praha. Coach Daniel Vrdlovec's side looks sharp ahead of the new campaign.

For HC Vrchlabí — 9th in the 2. liga with 52 points — this was their first pre-season outing and a harsh reality check. The defence needs significant work ahead of their next friendlies: away to Ústí nad Labem on 25 August and home to Ústí on 1 September.

A game decided in the first 20 minutes. Benátky were ruthlessly efficient, exploited Vrchlabí's defensive gaps and cruised home. For Vrchlabí, playing their first friendly of the summer, this was a painful lesson but carries no lasting damage — pre-season is about building fitness and cohesion, not results.