Slovakia's top ice-hockey league finals may see a new record

On Tuesday, the HK Nitra ice-hockey team won Game 7 against DOXXbet Vlci Žilina 7-4, clinching the series 4-3. The former is set to go against HK Košice, who had secured a spot in the finals last Saturday. Thus, the finals of Slovakia's top ice-hockey league, Tipos Extraliga, will see a rehash of the 2014 finals in which Košice prevailed in game 7.

In fact, this is the sixth time both teams face off each other in the league's playoffs, with Košice prevailing every single time so far and being the current favourite.

The first match is set to begin this Friday, April 18, in Košice. The team has the opportunity to win its 10th title which would place it first in terms of titles won. Currently, HK Košice are tied with Slovan Bratislava as both have won the league nine times.

Košice won the title last time in 2023, Nitra in 2024.

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Košice and Nitra fight for glory

In the regular season, Košice placed second, while Nitra third. The former had the best defence, the latter best offence. They played four matches against each other, with Košice winning three of them.

Both HK Nitra and HK Košice are confident they can win their next title and expect a very tight series.

"We are focusing on us and our game. If we give it everything we have, we will be successful," opines HK Nitra forward Samuel Buček, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

"I believe the finals will be good. It will be difficult, Nitra is a good team with a strong offence. We have to be ready," says HK Košice forward Tomáš Mikúš, who actually played for Nitra in the 2017/2018 season.

Two Košice players have a chance to go down in the history books. Radek Deyl may join former Slovan Bratislava player Richard Kapuš who won six titles while playing for one team. Marek Bartánus may become the first player to have won seven titles in the top league.