Slovak Extraliga started with an exciting round

Žilina's "Wolves," returning to the Extraliga after a five-year absence, earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory against their opponents, with Nicholas Jones scoring the game-winner in the final period. Despite playing under pressure from a full home crowd, Žilina showed resilience, securing their first win of the season.

In Poprad, fans celebrated an emphatic 7-2 victory over Zvolen, driven by a five-goal second period. Canadian forward Orrin Centazzo stole the show with a hat trick, marking an explosive start to Poprad’s season. Meanwhile, reigning champions Nitra mirrored Poprad’s success with a 7-2 win over Trenčín, cementing their position as title contenders.

Other matches were more tightly contested. Banská Bystrica edged last year’s finalist, Spišská Nová Ves, in overtime thanks to a game-winning goal by Boris Žabka in the 64th minute. Matthew Wedman scored the season’s first goal just 110 seconds into the game. Michalovce, hosting Košice, saw their 2-0 lead slip away as Košice clawed back to win in a shootout, decided in the ninth round of the shootout series.

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