Author: Veronika Pancuráková | Photo: Studentskenoviny.sk (Martin Toth-Vaňo)

The weekend of the stars of the top Slovak competition changed its format in the 2017/2018 season. The best sports leagues players met at the tournament with the best selection of the Czech, Austrian, and German top competitions and together they played some matches. In this international competition the Slovaks were the best and at home in the capital city they won the cup.

The hockey players of the Slovak Tipsport league gradually won over the players of the German DEL 7:4, Austrian EBEL 6:2, and last, but not least it was a tie in the final match with the Czech ELH 4:4. In the selection of our top hockey competition we had also two actual members of the A-team of HC Košice - the forward Patrik Koyš and defender Eduard Šedivý. Both added one accurate shot on goal and enjoyed the overall triumph in this international tournament.

Koyš played in unconventional jersey

“We won the first two matches, the final match with the Czechs was just the icing on the cake. It was a very successful tournament,” smiled Koyš, who help the Slovak Tipsport league also by one accurate shot.
“It not only pleased us, but also encouraged. I do not shoot many goals in this season, I have more assistances. But we took this tournament seriously, we played a normal hockey, not just aggressive hockey,” said the 22-year-old forward, who sent his thoughts after the tournament to Košice. “The league is very balanced and this is great.
We can finish on the first as well as on the fifth place. The end of the basic part will be especially demanding. Discipline and small things will be decision-making. I hope we will stand our ground and that we will go to play-off from the best position.

Nevertheless, Patrik Koyš experienced a paradox situation at the All Star Cup in Bratislava. During the season he was a guest-player in Liptovský Mikuláš, where he was nominated to the star league team. In the meantime, he returned from Liptovský Mikuláš to Košice, but during the tournament he was still registered as the player of MHK 32 Liptovský Mikuláš, and he even had their logo on the jersey. “It is a strange situation, but Rišo Lintner decided that it would remain as it is. I am sorry for that, because there is lot of boys in Liptovský Mikuláš, who try their best during the entire season and I wish them to play at the All Star Cup. But I respect this decision and I am very happy I could play, I enjoyed it.”

Šedivý encourages himself before the league

“Maybe many of you did not expect us to win, but we gave everything to it. We played as a team, we got together a great group. You could see it on the ice,” said Eduard Šedivý after the tournament, who was successful also in the position of the end-man. “Each nice and successful action can please. I am glad I encouraged myself before the end of the basic part. Currently I was a little bit out of Košice, but I am returning back with my thoughts and physically as well. Me and the boys will work hard and I believe we will be successful in the competition, same as we were at the All Star Cup,” said the 26-year old defender.
At the same time Eduard Šedivý pointed out to the fact that Košice will face extremely demanding fights in the final part of the Tipsport league. “We can achieve anything between the first and fifth position. Of course, we will try to get as high as possible. Also the last two matches we played finally great, we played as one team. We were devoted and fulfilled what we said in the change room. I believe that this will continues and graduate. I do not know when the boys from the Olympics would join us. I wonder how Slovakia will play, but anyhow, the entire available team will fight for the best place before the play-off,” said Šedivý.

Tomáš Bezdeda was also in the team

After the end of the tournament, Richard Lintner, the boss of the Slovak top hockey competition expressed his satisfaction. “It was worth it. I have a very good feeling from this event, this format has a great potential.
Basically we organized two parallel events, a cultural event in the fan zone and excellent hockey in top pace. In addition, we saw lot of goals,” enjoyed Lintner, who was already thinking about the next year. “We always think of something, we will already focus on the next year.
There is a great challenge of the Winter Classic ahead of me and some of my colleagues will probably takeover this format. I can imagine that maybe some other leagues could join, we'll see. He also suggested that the All Star Cup could be hosted by some other country.

But the supporters in Bratislava noticed that besides the nominees we could spotted also another familiar face in the team of the Slovak Tipsport league. The singer Tomáš Bezdeda in full hockey equipment entered the ice-rink. “Originally he was supposed to sit on the bench during one match. But because it was the winning match, the coaches did not allow him to leave and he had to stay on the bench also during the finals.” laughed Richard Lintner. “We are friends and in addition, Tomáš plays hockey with his teammates, so they were joking about taking Tomáš to the team as a forward. He surprised us; he dressed up and during the final ceremony he came to the ice-rink. It was fun,” smiled at the end the boss of the Slovak Tipsport league, who received a memorable jersey with his name and signatures of the entire team from the German DEL.