It was a sweet title defence for GKS Tychy.
photo: Lukasz Sobala
GKS Tychy battled past Cracovia Krakow to defend its Polish title and claim the country’s top prize for the fourth time. In a series dominated by tight encounters, Tychy grabbed a 2-1 verdict on the road in game six to lift the trophy. That completed a comeback after Cracovia, which had beaten Tychy in five previous play-off finals and a Super Cup meeting, opened a 2-1 lead in this year’s final only to come up short.
Tychy’s response to falling behind to its old foe was emphatic. A 4-0 victory in Krakow tied the series then a 4-2 victory on home ice put GKS one game away from winning it all. Cracovia struck first with Adrian Gajor giving the host the lead midway through the first period. Mateusz Goscinski tied it up seconds before the intermission and the winner came midway through the third. Jakub Witecki thumped a shot that rebounded back off the boards for Ciura Bartosz to have a go at the rebound. Goalie Miroslav Kopriva got a pad to that effort but the puck came back for Witecki to tuck away the goal that won the game and the series for GKS. Cracovia did the puck in the net one more time, but Filip Drzewiecki’s effort in the 53rd minute was scored with the skate and could not save his team.
Tychy forward Filip Komorski finished well up the scoring chart in this year’s play-offs. He had 15 (7+8) points from 20 games, tied with former Gagarin Cup winner Gleb Klimenko and just one behind Alexander Szczechura. He admitted that it was a tough series – and a tough play-off from start to finish.
“Defending out title took a lot out of us,” he told hokej.pl. “We played 20 tough, complex games. Two of them even lasted twice as long as the regulation 60 minutes. I don’t quite know how we survived it all!
“In each series there was a moment when we were almost pushed over the precipice but each time we proved that we can fight under pressure. Many people outside the team gave up on us but we chose something different and struggled on. Now we have our reward and that’s something beautiful.”
Tychy’s response to falling behind to its old foe was emphatic. A 4-0 victory in Krakow tied the series then a 4-2 victory on home ice put GKS one game away from winning it all. Cracovia struck first with Adrian Gajor giving the host the lead midway through the first period. Mateusz Goscinski tied it up seconds before the intermission and the winner came midway through the third. Jakub Witecki thumped a shot that rebounded back off the boards for Ciura Bartosz to have a go at the rebound. Goalie Miroslav Kopriva got a pad to that effort but the puck came back for Witecki to tuck away the goal that won the game and the series for GKS. Cracovia did the puck in the net one more time, but Filip Drzewiecki’s effort in the 53rd minute was scored with the skate and could not save his team.
Tychy forward Filip Komorski finished well up the scoring chart in this year’s play-offs. He had 15 (7+8) points from 20 games, tied with former Gagarin Cup winner Gleb Klimenko and just one behind Alexander Szczechura. He admitted that it was a tough series – and a tough play-off from start to finish.
“Defending out title took a lot out of us,” he told hokej.pl. “We played 20 tough, complex games. Two of them even lasted twice as long as the regulation 60 minutes. I don’t quite know how we survived it all!
“In each series there was a moment when we were almost pushed over the precipice but each time we proved that we can fight under pressure. Many people outside the team gave up on us but we chose something different and struggled on. Now we have our reward and that’s something beautiful.”
The GKS Tychy players pose for a team photo with the championship trophy.
photo: Lukasz Sobala
Even getting to this season’s final was a challenge for both teams. On successive nights in March, the record for the longest game in Polish hockey history was set. First, it was Cracovia’s turn: on March 26 it took a 92nd-minute winner to wrap up the Krakow team’s semi-final against regular season champion GKS Katowice. The next day, however, Tychy set a new record when Alexander Szczechura’s goal in the 126th minute earned a 2-1 win at Nowy Targ and dragged that semi-final series to game seven. The final series began with another extended clash with Szczechura again showing his endurance when he produced the winner on 117:58. If the name Szczechura sounds familiar, by the way, his brother Paul has been a long-serving player in the KHL, currently with Traktor Chelyabinsk. The Ontario-born brothers have Polish roots, and Alexander has since represented Poland in World Championship play after coming to play in his ancestral homeland.
For Cracovia, six times national champion in the 21st century, it was a case of ‘so near, yet so far’. “The games in the final series were all very tight,” said Drzewiecki. “But somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. This time we came off second best but we have to look at this positively. We know that we are always playing to win the championship. This time our rivals were better but next season we will come back stronger.”
Next season, Cracovia may also enjoy added firepower from teenage prospect Sebastian Brynkus. The 18-year-old enjoyed a solid rookie season in the adult league and potted his first senior play-off goal during the semi-final series against Katowice. Then he joined up with Poland’s U18s and led the scoring at World Championship Division IIA in Lithuania to help the country win promotion.
Tychy will now return to the Champions Hockey League for the second time while Cracovia goes to the IIHF Continental Cup. A third-place playoff saw GKS Katowice, the regular season leader, defeat Podhale Nowy Targ.
For Cracovia, six times national champion in the 21st century, it was a case of ‘so near, yet so far’. “The games in the final series were all very tight,” said Drzewiecki. “But somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. This time we came off second best but we have to look at this positively. We know that we are always playing to win the championship. This time our rivals were better but next season we will come back stronger.”
Next season, Cracovia may also enjoy added firepower from teenage prospect Sebastian Brynkus. The 18-year-old enjoyed a solid rookie season in the adult league and potted his first senior play-off goal during the semi-final series against Katowice. Then he joined up with Poland’s U18s and led the scoring at World Championship Division IIA in Lithuania to help the country win promotion.
Tychy will now return to the Champions Hockey League for the second time while Cracovia goes to the IIHF Continental Cup. A third-place playoff saw GKS Katowice, the regular season leader, defeat Podhale Nowy Targ.