Krakow vs Bytom

The opening period was all Bytom. Christian Mroczkowski opened the scoring at 7:05 off an Andrey Buyalsky feed, and Mateusz Bepierszcz doubled the lead on the power play at 10:00 (assisted by Ernests Osenieks). Pavel Padakin made it 3-0 just 89 seconds later, also with the man advantage, with Olexei Vorona and Artem Hrebenyk drawing the assists.

Daniels Berzins pulled one back for Cracovia at 12:01, but Bytom carried a commanding 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

Cracovia flipped the script in the second period. Borys Dawid struck twice on the power play — at 21:44 from Scott Montgomery and at 27:34 from D. Kapica — to level the scores at 3-3. James White then put the visitors ahead for the first time at 29:45, again set up by Kapica, completing a three-goal frame that made it 4-3 to Cracovia after 40 minutes.

Bytom refused to fade. Mroczkowski notched his second of the night at 55:09 of the third period, with Hrebenyk supplying the assist, to make it 4-4 and force overtime.

Overtime lasted just 80 seconds. Denis Gorsanovs fed White, who fired home the winner at 61:20 to seal a 5-4 Cracovia victory.

Cracovia's three-goal second period — two on the power play — transformed the match. After managing just one shot through the opening 12 minutes of the second frame, Bytom's defensive structure cracked under sustained pressure from the Krakow side. Dawid's power-play double in the space of 5:50 flipped the momentum completely.

• James White (Cracovia): Two goals, including the overtime winner at 61:20. His second-period strike at 29:45 gave Cracovia its first lead; the OT finish was clinical.
• Borys Dawid (Cracovia): Two power-play goals in the second period that dragged Cracovia back from 3-1 to 3-3.
• Christian Mroczkowski (Bytom): A brace (7:05, 55:09) that nearly rescued the result for the hosts. His equaliser in the third period forced overtime.
• D. Kapica (Cracovia): Two primary assists on second-period goals (Dawid at 27:34, White at 29:45), the engine of the Cracovia comeback.

Player of the Match: James White — two goals, including the decisive OT winner.

The final shot counts were not available in the provider data, but the scoring sequence tells the story. Bytom converted 2 of their power-play opportunities in the first period to build a 3-0 cushion; Cracovia responded with 2 power-play goals of their own in the second to level the game. Special teams effectively cancelled each other out across the 60 minutes, with Cracovia's even-strength pressure in the second period proving the difference. Overtime was settled quickly — Cracovia's first and only shot of the extra period was the winner.

This was the fourth pre-season friendly for both sides ahead of the 2026/27 Tauron Hokej Liga campaign. Bytom had won the previous meeting between these sides 5-0 on 12 August. Cracovia's ability to reverse that result — and from 3-0 down — suggests growing chemistry under coach Krystian Dziubiński. Bytom, coached by Andrei Gusov, next face Czech side HC Bobri Valasske Mezirici on Wednesday, 19 August. Cracovia's next pre-season fixture has not been confirmed at the time of writing.

A genuine pre-season thriller that swung wildly before being settled in overtime. Cracovia's second-period response — three goals in 8:01 — demonstrated the firepower at Dziubiński's disposal this season, while Bytom will take positives from Mroczkowski's timely equaliser and their first-period dominance. Pre-season results carry limited weight, but the resilience shown by Cracovia on opposition ice is a meaningful sign for the campaign ahead.