Scoring goals is always cause for celebration, but it’s the outcome that matters most and Jakub Krejčík of Sparta Prague understands this all too well. After taking their second lead of the contest in the second period, the Czechs fell victim to Luleå Hockey's lethal powerplay and eventually found themselves in the loss column for the third time this season.
“I’m happy about that, it’s always nice to score but obviously we care about the result and that didn’t come,” said Krejčík when asked how it felt to score his first of the season.
Sparta struck first in the opening stanza thanks to Krejčík’s thunderous slapshot from just above the left circle, but they wouldn’t hold the lead for long. Six minutes into the second, Julius Honka found the equaliser for the home side and by the end of the period it was Luleå’s game to lose as they struck twice on the powerplay to take the advantage.
According to Krejčík, this is where things went awry for the Czechs, “I think we lost the game at the end of the second period when they scored two goals in the last two minutes,” adding, “that shouldn’t happen to us.”
"Even when we’re struggling we can still play."Juhani Tyrväinen of Luleå Hockey
Two tallies in the last two minutes were not what the Czechs wanted but it’s exactly what the Swedes needed heading into the third at home after not playing their best hockey to that point.
“We were struggling against Sparta Prague a little bit. They played really well with the puck and we had some problems with the forecheck,” admitted Luleå’s Juhani Tyrväinen, who had his own goal on the night.
Tyrväinen stressed the importance of those final minutes and gave credit to his club’s special teams play as the deciding factor that saw them go from down one to up one to start the third.
“We had a good powerplay in the second period so I think that was the key today,” he explained.
Luleå’s ability to bounce back has been paramount for them this season. In their last match, the Swedish side were trailing 2-0 against Jukurit Mikkeli at one point, but found a way to pull off the win in the end.
Even after falling behind to Sparta, Luleå didn’t falter and according to Tyrväinen, it’s because they, “have the core. Even when we’re struggling we can still play and score those goals and hang in there.”
As for scoring the eventual game-winner on his birthday, well, "It came like a present to me," he jested in conclusion.