Plzen U20 vs Salzburg U20

Salzburg struck first through Tobias Hartl at 12:49 of the opening period, finishing from close range after a feed from Lukas Kogler, who was the assist leader on the night. Plzeň equalised on a 5-on-3 power play at 17:25 — Jan Fodor one-timed a pass from Matěj Bělík past goalkeeper Mika Haim to make it 1-1 after 20 minutes.

The second period turned decisively in Salzburg's favour. Lukas Kogler scored at 26:17 (assisted by Koscher and Sladkov) to restore the lead, then Lukas Koscher made it 3-1 at 29:20 after another Kogler setup. Lukas Kogler struck again at 32:22 off a feed from Hengelmüller — 4-1 to the Austrian visitors and the game looked to be slipping away from the hosts.

Plzeň refused to fold. Adam Benák, the Czech youth international drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2025, halved the deficit on a breakaway at 35:07. Just 2:27 later he struck again at 37:34, finishing from close range after Dominik Chasák and Jakub Mašek combined to set him up. Plzeň went to the second interval trailing 4-3 but with all the momentum.

Antonín Klatovský's shorthanded equaliser at 55:48 of the third period. With Jan Fodor serving a slashing penalty, Klatovský intercepted a risky pass at the offensive blue line, raced in alone and beat Haim between the pads to tie the game at 4-4. It was Plzeň's second special-teams goal of the match (one power play, one shorthanded) and completed the improbable comeback from three goals down.

In overtime, goaltender Matyáš Poustka kept Plzeň alive with a sharp save on a deflected shot at 62:16. Seconds later, Hlib Petrov carried the puck to the top of the left circle and fired a wrist shot past Haim at 62:47, with Fodor picking up his second assist of the night. The Plzeň bench erupted as Petrov sealed the 5-4 victory.

• ⭐ Adam Benák (Plzeň U20) — 2 goals (35:07, 37:34). The Minnesota Wild draft pick returned to the Plzeň junior setup as a guest player and single-handedly swung momentum back to the home side with two strikes in 102 seconds. His speed on the breakaway for the first goal left the Salzburg defence flat-footed.

• ⭐ Lukas Kogler (Salzburg U20) — 1 goal, 3 assists. The Salzburg alternate captain was involved in every one of his team's goals, setting up Hartl's opener and Koscher's goal before scoring himself. His hat-trick of points (1+3) kept Salzburg in control for two periods.

• ⭐ Hlib Petrov (Plzeň U20) — 1 goal (OT winner), 1 assist. The defenceman showed poise to carry the puck into the zone in overtime and finished with an accurate wrist shot for the game-winner.

• Matyáš Poustka (Plzeň U20) — Made several key saves in the third period and overtime, including a crucial stop on a deflected shot at 62:16 that kept Plzeň alive before Petrov's winner.

The period scores (1-1, 2-3, 1-0, 1-0) tell the story of a game that swung violently: Salzburg dominated the middle frame with three unanswered goals, but Plzeň answered with four of the last five. Penalty minutes were even at 3-3, though Plzeň made better use of special teams — Fodor's 5-on-3 power-play goal in the first period and Klatovský's shorthanded equaliser in the third gave the hosts a 2-0 edge in special-teams scoring. Salzburg failed to convert any of their three power plays, a critical factor given they led 4-1 at one stage.

The 1-4 to 5-4 score progression underscores one of the defining features of this fixture historically — all five meetings between these sides have gone over 2.5 goals (averaging 5.4 per game) and this one (9 total goals) continued that trend.

For Plzeň U20, this was the fourth pre-season friendly of August 2026 and their third win (4-2 vs České Budějovice on 4 August, 1-2 vs Sparta Praha on 6 August, 3-2 at Sparta Praha on 11 August). The comeback victory — particularly with Benák's return to the lineup — provides a confidence boost ahead of the Komerční banka extraliga juniorů season. Plzeň's next friendly is at home against HC Energie Karlovy Vary on 20 August 2026.

For Salzburg U20, this was a tale of two periods of control undone by a late collapse. They next face Mountfield HK on 15 August 2026 in another pre-season test.

A pre-season friendly that delivered genuine drama. Salzburg's 4-1 lead after 32 minutes reflected sharp finishing from the Kogler line, but Plzeň's resilience — sparked by Benák's quality and finished by Klatovský's opportunistic shorthanded goal — showed depth of character. Petrov's composed winner in overtime was a fitting end to a match that never stopped entertaining. Benák's two-goal return was the headline: the Minnesota prospect looked a level above the competition.