Nitra Level Semifinal Series With Nervy 3-2 Victory Over Poprad

Nitra demonstrated their championship credentials on home ice, defeating Poprad 3-2 in Game 2 of the Tipsport Liga semifinal to level the series at 1-1. It was a night of fine margins: Poprad's late goal in the 59th minute made for a tense finish, but Nitra held their nerve against a dangerous mountain-city outfit.

First Period — Nitra Strike Early

The defending regular-season champions set the tone immediately. Just five minutes in, M. Paulovic converted off assists from M. Kristof and S. Bucek to give Nitra a 1-0 lead. The early strike settled the home crowd and gave Nitra something to defend.

Poprad were penalised twice in the first period — P. Rychlik for Roughing at 12' and M. Nemcik for Interference at 19' — but Nitra could not convert either power play. The period closed 1-0 in Nitra's favour.

Second Period — Scoreless Chess Match

The second period produced no goals. Both teams committed one penalty each (Lacka for Nitra and Fereta for Poprad), but neither side capitalised. With the score still 1-0 heading into the final period, the match was poised to explode.

Third Period — Drama Unfolds

The third period delivered exactly the drama the 3,198 fans packed into the Nitra arena had hoped for. A. Calof levelled for Poprad in the 47th minute with a composed finish off assists from M. Bodak and L. Malina. But Nitra responded quickly: A. Turansky restored the 2-1 lead just three minutes later (50') with an unassisted goal.

Poprad were not done. They earned a two-man advantage midway through the period after Nitra received back-to-back penalties (Molnar and Stacha, both for Checking from behind). It was the most critical passage of the match — but Nitra's penalty kill held firm through the extended pressure.

With the advantage gone, S. Cederle punished Poprad with an unassisted goal at 58' to make it 3-1 and seemingly seal the points. But J. Majdan (assisted by R. Sproul and A. Cracknell) pulled one back in the 59th minute to set up a nervy final 60 seconds. Nitra held on for a 3-2 victory.

What It Means

Parity is restored in a compelling Tipsport Liga semifinal. Nitra, who topped the 2025-26 regular season by 11 points, showed why they are favourites — they absorbed Poprad's two-man power play without conceding and punished their opponents when it mattered. Poprad, for their part, showed real resilience: the manner of their comeback from 0-2 down signals they remain dangerous away from home.

The series now moves to Poprad for Games 3 and 4, where the home crowd at Tatry will back their team in what promises to be a hard-fought battle for a place in the Tipsport Liga final.