Bytom vs Torun

KH Energa Toruń edged BS Polonia Bytom 4-3 in overtime in a pre-season friendly at the Lodowisko im. Braci Nikodemowiczów on Friday afternoon. The visitors struck twice early in the first period, only for Bytom to fight back twice and force extra time, where Toruń produced the decisive finish.

How It Unfolded

Toruń took control inside the opening 14 minutes. Denyskin opened the scoring at 03:12 with help from Syty and Schafer. Smal doubled the lead on the power play at 13:26, converting from Denyskin and Kolesnikov. Bytom responded 44 seconds later through Górny, who finished off a move involving Kubeš and Worona to make it 2-1 at the first intermission.

Santeri Peltola restored Toruń's two-goal cushion at 24:45 with a power-play goal set up by Hanzawa and Tapio. But again Bytom answered quickly — Fadiejew scored at 25:42, assisted by Worona and Górny, trimming the deficit to 3-2.

Bytom pushed hard in the third period and equalised through Bepierszcz at 53:16, with Kubeš providing the assist. The home side could not find a winner in regulation, and the match went to 3-on-3 overtime, where Toruń struck the decisive blow. The OT goal-scorer was not named in the match report published after the game.

The Turning Point

Bytom's momentum after Bepierszcz's equaliser at 53:16 should have carried them through. They had Toruń pinned in their own zone for stretches of the final six minutes. But the brief 3-on-3 overtime format favoured Toruń's speed on the transition, and a defensive lapse allowed the visitors to break in alone and finish the contest.

Key Performers

• Denyskin (Toruń): one goal and one primary assist in the opening period. His early strike set the tone and his pass on Smal's PP goal gave Toruń a lead they held twice.
• Górny (Bytom): scored Bytom's first goal and set up Fadiejew's strike. Central to both of Bytom's first-half responses.
• Bepierszcz (Bytom): his 53rd-minute equaliser forced overtime and marked his second preseason goal in a week.
• Kałmykow (Toruń): the Toruń goaltender made several key stops in the second half of the third period to keep his side alive before overtime.

By the Numbers — Interpreted

The scoreline tells a story of two teams trading blows: neither led by more than one goal after the opening period. Toruń's two power-play goals (from Smal at 13:26 and Peltola at 24:45) proved decisive — Bytom did not score with the man advantage. Both sides converted at exactly the times they needed to stay in the contest, but Toruń's special-teams edge and the OT finish separated them.

What It Means

This was the sixth pre-season friendly for both sides ahead of the 2026/27 Tauron Hokej Liga campaign, which begins on 15 September. Toruń, under head coach Sami Hirvonen, showed resilience after conceding equalisers twice. Bytom, coached by Andriej Gusow, will take heart from recovering from two goals down twice but will look to tighten defensively after conceding four. Both teams are scheduled to meet again on 28 August in Bytom during the 80th-anniversary tournament at the same venue.

Verdict

A thoroughly even pre-season contest that could have gone either way. Toruń's special-teams execution and a moment of transition quality in overtime proved the difference. Bytom's character in fighting back twice suggests they will be competitive when the league season starts.