Bitom dismantled league leaders Zagłębie Sosnowiec 7-2 in the Polish Hockey League on Sunday. The hosts did not travel to make up the numbers — they simply outplayed a side that had won seven of eight before this afternoon. To be fair, Zagłębie had looked sharp in recent outings, but Bitom were a menace all night.
And here's the thing — we had called a home victory before kick-off, though 44 per cent confidence is hardly a guarantee. It came off, and by then you could see why. Zagłębie's high line was picked apart at will, and Bitom's forwards ran in behind with no trouble.
The visitors had won their last five before this one, including a 6-2 over Toruń and a 4-2 against Jastrzębie. They arrived as leaders with a game in hand, but they ran out of legs somewhere in the second period. Bitom closed the game out after the break, playing with space and pace that Zagłębie could not match.
There are no shot counts or expected goals to anchor this. What there is, is a seven-goal performance against a team sitting top of the table. The old head in the Bitom dugout must have settled them down — you could see the shift in tempo when the scoreline opened up.
Bitom remain second with 7 wins from 9 games, while Zagłębie's solitary loss now sits alongside their seven victories. The gap between them is two points, but after today it feels wider than that. The scoreboard tells the story — and it tells it plainly.
