In Sports News this Monday: Czechs come third at World Floorball Championships after turning around final game – coach Cepek is eyeing gold in two years’ time; hockey goalie Vokoun calls time on career at 38; and Sparta reportedly considering sacking Lavička after Europa League exit.
Czechs come third at World Floorball Championships after turnaround against Swiss
Czech Republic - Switzerland, photo: CTK
The Czech national team have finished a creditable third in the men’s World Floorball Championships in Sweden’s Gothenburg. The Czechs secured bronze – the country’s third ever medal in the tournament – after coming from behind to beat Switzerland on Sunday. The turning point came with only seven seconds remaining in the second period when, during a power play, Matěj Jendrišák found the net to put the Czech Republic in front for the first time at 4:3 – and that is how the score remained.
Captain Jan Jelínek says the team didn’t make it easy for themselves after a poor start.
“The first period was dreadful. We didn’t play anything like we wanted to and it was perhaps our worst period of the whole tournament. We picked ourselves up in the second. We showed good morale, began executing our game plan and got a few goals. The final period was a battle. But in the end our goaltender Tomáš Kafka made some great saves and luckily the Swiss didn’t find the net again.”
The coach of the Czech floorball team says his relatively young side will be aiming to do even better in two years’ time. Radim Cepek picked up a silver medal as a player in 2004 and says his aim is to complete that collection with gold from the 2016 World Championships in Latvia.
Goaltender Vokoun calls time on hockey career at 38
Tomáš Vokoun, photo: Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Czech ice hockey goaltender Tomáš Vokoun has decided to call time on his career at the age of 38, Deník Sport has reported. The Karlovy Vary-born player took two World Championship winner’s medals with the Czech Republic and spent 16 years in the NHL. However, he was released by Pittsburgh Penguins after suffering from a blood clot in his pelvis last season and has been unable to find a new club.
Třinec seven points clear in domestic Extraliga
Třinec - Vítkovice, photo: CTK
In the Czech Extraliga Třinec are now seven points clear at the top following a 2:1 win over Vítkovice in the 30th round. Other regional duels also took place on Sunday, with Kometa Brno beating Olomouc 3:1 and Hradec Králové overcoming Pardubice 4:6 in the East Bohemian derby.
Sparta to replace Lavička after Europa League exit?
Vítězslav Lavička, photo: Czech Television
Questions are being asked about the future of Sparta Prague manager Vítězslav Lavička after two and a half years in the post. The defending champions are only one point behind leaders Viktoria Plzeň in the domestic soccer league. However, Sparta exited the Europa League at the group stage last week after a 2:0 away defeat at Berne’s Young Boys and there have been suggestions the club’s owners are on the lookout for a coach to take them further on the international stage.
