Lokomotiva has two wins and two ties through 11 games. Photo: Pavel Škarpišek
Brno, Nov 8 (BD) – Kometa advance to Champions League Quarterfinals; Zbrojovka can’t overcome early goal at Jablonec; mmcité+ lose their 3-point shooting touch; ZBL takes a break; and the Brno sports schedule.
For the second week in a row Lokomotiva Brno Horni Herspice fought tooth and nail to get a late goal, but this time, against Dukla Praha, they were unable to muster another magical ending. Brno had to settle with a 1-1 tie.
Last week, Brno got a last-second goal for a 2-2 tie against visiting Liberec.
The two points from the back-to-back home-game ties moves Brno to seventh place in the eight-team league. They will have their work cut out for them when the league resumes with three games in late February and March.
On Saturday, Lokomotiva took the lead in the first half when Kateřina Vojtková converted a penalty kick in the 26th minute. Dukla tied the game in the 73rd minute.
The game was quite physical and several players on both sides required breathers after hard blows. In the end, Lokomotiva was unable to get a decent shot from its second-half offensive pressure.
Lokomotiva has two wins and two ties for eight points through 11 games. Last-place FC Hradec Králové has two wins, one tie and seven points. Lokomotiva tied the other two teams with two wins in the past two weeks: FC Slovan Liberec was a 2-2- tie on Oct. 28 and FK Dukla Praha was a 1-1 tie last weekend. Both Liberec and Dukla have nine points. FC Viktoria Plzeň is only slightly better with 10 points, although they have a game in hand.
Lokomotiva is scheduled to play at FC Viktoria Plzeň on Feb. 24; they host league-leading SK Slavia Praha on March 18; and they finish the season at last-place FC Hradec Králové on March 25 in a game that could mean staying in the top league or relegation.
HOCKEY
Youth Leads Kometa to Champions League Quarterfinals
Kometa Brno scored five goals in Switzerland to beat EV Zug, 2-5, and advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions Hockey League.
Kometa beat EV Zug in Brno, 4-3, last Tuesday.
Lukáš Nahodil scored twice in Switzerland. Tomáš Mlynář, a 19-year-old, scored his first goal midway through the second period. Karel Vejmelka, 21, played well in the goal.
“We had a mixed team of young guys and experienced guys,” said coach Kamil Pokorný (translated from Czech). “Kometa has great young players. That is why they were given the opportunity to play in the last two games. They managed to perform very well. The young players really have taken the opportunity. In both quarterfinal matches, they confirmed that they have great potential.”
The quarterfinals will be played in two legs. The first will be Dec. 5 or 6; the second will be Dec. 12.
Domestically, Kometa won twice.
In front of the fifth sold-out crowd on the season, Kometa beat Sparta Praha, 3-2 in extra time. Jan Hruška, with assists from Hynek Zohorna and Martin Nečas, scored the winner two minutes into extra time.
Nečas, an 18-year-old, was the 12th pick in the NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. He has been with the team for three games since returning from the United States. He scored his second goal of the season in the sixth minute.
On Sunday, Kometa beat Dukla, 2-0. Alexandre Mallet and Leoš Čermák both scored goals. Goaltender Marek Čiliak got the shutout.
MEN’S FOOTBALL
Early Goal Enough to Beat Zbrojovka
Zbrojovka traveled to Jablonec on Sunday, gave up a fourth-minute goal, and failed to get a point. Jabolonec won, 1-0.
It could have been worse, but Brno goalkeeper Dušan Melichárek dove to his left and stopped a penalty shot in the 31st minute.
Zbrojovka has been held scoreless in its last three games. They have given up only one goal in the past two.
Brno has two more games left in the first half of the 2017-18 HET Liga season. Teplice visits Brno on Nov. 18 at 4. Teplice is currently seventh in the league with a 5-4-3 record and 19 points. FC Zbrojovka Brno is last in the 16-team league with a 2-2-9 record and 8 points. FC Baník Ostrava and MFK Karviná are 14th and 15th, respectively, also have 8 points; both teams beat Zbrojovka earlier this year.
Then Brno travels to Jihlava for a Friday night game on Nov. 24. Kick off is at 6 p.m.
The league season continues in mid-February. Zbrojovka is schedule to host Zlín on Feb. 12.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Děčín Gets Its 3-Pointer, Brno Doesn’t and Loses
Brno scratched back into the game, but it couldn’t get closer than two points and lost to visiting BK ARMEX Děčín, 82-86, on Saturday.
mmcité+ Brno, 3-4, trailed throughout the game. They pulled within a few points late in the second quarter only to allow Děčín, 4-3, to spurt away again. Slowly, through the third and fourth quarters, Brno again chipped away at the lead such that they were within two several times in the final minutes.
Děčín, however, pulled away to 80-85 when it beat the shot-clock buzzer with prayer of a 3-point shot at the 1:05 mark. Brno head coach Dejan Jakara angrily called a time out to rally his team.
Brno was not done yet. They cut the lead to three, and forced Děčín to the free throw line, where they went only one-for-four. Brno got 3-point shots but couldn’t convert: Mladen Primorac, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer at USK Prague in the previous game, missed from the corner; Kevin Mays missed from excessively deep against defensive pressure; and, with only a few seconds on the clock, Brian Sullivan was forced to put up a shot with his back to the basket, then got a deep rebound and missed the rim in his haste to get up a final attempt.
“Děčín scored some very tough shots,” Jakara said after the game. “We miseed a lot of 3-pointers.”
Brno was 5-for-26 from 3-point range.
Brian Sullivan led the team with 24 points. Primorac added 20.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
ZBL Takes Late-Autumn Break
Jana Hausknechtová (4 of 6) and Pavla Švrdlíková (2 of 3) were a combined 6 of 9 from 3-point range but Žabiny Brno was not able to beat BLK Slavia Praha on Wednesday, losing 83-68 in Prague.
Hausknechtová finished with a game-high 18 points. Švrdlíková added 16.
“In the end the game was decided by turnovers, specifically 26 of them,” said Žabiny head coach Viktor Pruša (translated from Czech). “Slavia turned that into 29 points.”
League play will return in mid-November.
In international play, KP Brno played at Wasserburg on Thursday and lost, 81-62. Their EuroCup schedule will conclude with home games against Fribourg on Nov. 22 and Venezia on Nov. 29.
BRNO SPORTS RESULTS
Quick results for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the past week. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017
— Women’s Basketball: BLK Slavia Praha 83, Basket Žabiny Brno 68
Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017
— Women’s Basketball (EuroCup): Wasserburg 81, KP Brno 62
Friday, Nov. 3, 2017
— Hockey: Kometa 3, Sparta 2 (extra time)
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2017
— Women’s Football: Lokomotiva Brno H. H. 1, FK Dukla Praha 1
— Men’s Basketball: mmcité+ Brno 82, BK ARMEX Děčín 86
Sunday, Nov. 5, 2017
— Football: Jablonec 1, Zbrojovka Brno 0
— Hockey: Dukla 0, Kometa 2
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Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017
— Hockey (Champions League): EV Zug 2, Kometa 5
BRNO SPORTS SCHEDULE
The schedule for various Brno professional and recreational sports for the next two weeks. All dates and times subject to change. Home team listed first (when applicable).
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2017
— Men’s Basketball: ČEZ Basketball Nymburk X mmcité+ Brno, 5 p.m.
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Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017
— Hockey: Kometa X Pardubice, 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 17, 2017
— Hockey: Kometa X Vítkovice, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18, 2017
— Men’s Football: Zbrojovka Brno X Teplice, Srbska. 4 p.m.
— Men’s Basketball: mmcité+ Brno X BK Opava, 7 p.m.
— Women’s Basketball: Žabiny Brno X SBŠ Ostrava, 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017
— Hockey: Liberec X Kometa, 4:20 p.m. (TV)
— Women’s Basketball: Loko Trutnov X KP Brno, 5 p.m.
— Women’s Basketball: Technic Brno X DSK Basketball Nymburk, 5 p.m.
The Brno Sports Report is published every Wednesday. All dates and times are subject to change. Most of the stories are about the traditional “English-speaking” team sports — football, hockey, baseball, basketball, American football, rugby, etc. — but it is also about the interesting local spectator and participation sports — tennis, badminton, running, horse racing, swimming, rock climbing, biking, etc. If you have any suggestions for what should be included, please comment below or send an email to brnosports@gmail.com.
