Spisska Nova Ves vs Krakow

Spisska Nova Ves seized control inside the first 17 minutes. Defender Charles Martin opened the scoring in the 4th minute, crashing home from close range after a scramble in front of Krakow netminder Niklas Lipiainen. The Slovak side doubled their lead in the 17th minute when Matej Paločko redirected a shot past Lipiainen, giving the hosts a 2–0 cushion at the first intermission.

The second period followed a similar pattern. Michal Frankovič made it 3–0 in the 31st minute, tapping in after sustained offensive-zone pressure from the home side's fourth line. Krakow improved defensively through the remainder of the middle frame but could not solve Spisska goalkeeper Griffen Outhouse.

Comarch Cracovia finally broke through in the 58th minute. Finnish forward Olli Valtola beat Outhouse with a sharp-angle shot, assisted by Alexander Škrabov, to deny the hosts a shut-out. Spisska saw out the final two-and-a-half minutes without further alarm.

Martin's 4th-minute opener. Krakow arrived in Spišská Nová Ves having lost 5–1 to HK32 Liptovský Mikuláš less than 24 hours earlier, and conceding so early handed the initiative entirely to the hosts. Spisska never had to chase the game and could dictate its tempo, which suited a side playing its fourth friendly in two weeks.

Charles Martin (Spisska Nova Ves) – The Canadian-born defenceman scored the crucial first goal and anchored the blue line in a clean defensive display. His read of the developing scramble at 3:09 changed the complexion of the match.

Griffen Outhouse (Spisska Nova Ves) – The 28-year-old Canadian goaltender stopped everything he faced until the 58th minute, making himself big on several Krakow power-play attempts.

Matej Paločko (Spisska Nova Ves) – The 30-year-old Slovak forward combined physical forechecking with a well-taken second goal that effectively put the game out of reach inside 20 minutes.

Olli Valtola (Krakow) – The Finnish forward was Krakow's liveliest attacker all night and got his deserved reward with the 58th-minute consolation, a precise finish off Škrabov's feed.

Player of the Match: Charles Martin – Set the tone with the early goal and rarely put a foot wrong in his own zone across 60 minutes.

The onlajny.com play-by-play logged only four goals on a low-event game by friendly standards. Zero penalties were called on either side — unusual for any ice hockey match and a strong indication that both coaching staffs, Jakub Petr (Spisska) and Krystian Dziubiński (Krakow), instructed their players to avoid physical confrontation with the domestic season approaching. The 3–0 lead after 31 minutes allowed Spisska to manage minutes for veterans while Krakow rotated heavily through four forward lines.

Spisska's pre-season trend is worth noting: they have scored 5+ goals in three of their four friendlies (5–4 vs Tychy, 10–5 vs Debrecen, 4–1 vs Prešov, all since 14 August) and kept three opponents below 2 goals. Krakow, by contrast, have conceded at least twice in every pre-season outing since 14 August — a defensive pattern that invites pressure early, which is exactly what happened here.

Spisska Nova Ves finish their pre-season schedule with three wins and one loss since 14 August, building momentum ahead of the 2026–27 Tipsport liga campaign. Their next competitive fixture is the opening round of the Slovak Extraliga season, expected in mid-September.

Krakow (Comarch Cracovia) have lost three of their last four friendlies since 19 August, with only a 3–2 win over HC ZUBR Přerov breaking the run. The Polish side open their domestic Polska Hokej Liga season in September and will want to tighten a defence that has leaked goals consistently.

A straightforward pre-season win for the Slovak hosts, sealed by an efficient first-period burst that Krakow's travel-weary squad could not recover from. The 3–1 scoreline flattered the visitors slightly — Valtola's goal came at 58:00 after the game was long decided. The clean sheet on penalties and the friendly, low-contact atmosphere suggest both sides achieved their primary objectives: minutes for depth players and injury-free preparation.