The final of the 17th Dolomitencup has been decided: Dynamo Pardubice follows HC Davos into the final. In the Würtharena in Neumarkt, which was sold out with almost 1000 spectators, the Czech defending champions defeated record-holder Augsburger Panther 4:0.
The second semi-final of this year’s Dolomitencup could confidently be described as a clash of champions, with Augsburg and Pardubice – five-time tournament winners and the current title holders – facing off. The AEV, who stumbled in the last DEL season, tackled their tenth participation in the tournament with a completely revamped squad, while the Czechs relied on their impressive physicality as in the previous year. And so a game characterised by duels and toughness developed right from the start, but chances were initially in short supply. It took almost twelve minutes for the first high-calibre goal, but it led to a goal straight away: Ondrej Vala beat Dennis Endras in the Augsburg box with a concealed shot from the blue. It was 1:0 for Pardubice. The Panthers tried to respond with quick counter-attacks, but there was hardly any way through in the opposing third.
Pardubice has the winning formula
Although the many Augsburg fans continued to cheer their team on in the second period, it was the 100 or so travelling fans from the Czech Republic who were able to celebrate again in the 25th minute. Once again, it was a shot from distance that led to the goal. This time Endras was able to save, but he was powerless to stop David Cienciala’s follow-up shot. The Eastern Europeans applied this proven winning formula once again in the 32nd minute: Tomas Hyka advanced the disc from the blue line towards the goal, Robert Ricka reacted quickest and squeezed in to make it 3:0. You could almost feel sorry for the Panthers in this phase of the game, as they pulled out all the stops in offence but kept conceding goals in the same way. As a result, Pardubice went into the second break with a clear lead.
In the final period, both teams constantly rotated their four lines and allowed the puck to glide across the ice without many interruptions. The fire from the first two periods was somewhat gone and although Augsburg were able to establish themselves in the attacking third time and again, they were rarely really dangerous. At the other end, the more lively Dynamo cracks repeatedly made pinpricks, such as in the 55th minute when Tomas Hyka failed to score from point-blank range in the power play. However, there was one more time when Jan Kostalek made it 4:0 two minutes before the end.
Looking forward to the final match day
Despite the clear defeat, the Panther fans celebrated their protégés long after the end of the game. Curiously, several dozen Eisbären fans from Berlin also attended the celebrations at the end, having once again answered the call of the Dolomitencup this year, even though their team is not competing. They are likely to be at the start again on Sunday, when the Panthers and top Swedish club Rögle BK will battle it out for third place at 3.45 pm. The eagerly awaited final between Davos and Pardubice will take place at 8.00 pm.
