Poruba HC U20 lost 3:5 to Plzeň U20 in the ELJ on Thursday night. The away side took all three points and moved further clear of their hosts in the standings. It was a result that matched what many had expected going in.
Plzeň sit seventh after ten games with six wins and four defeats. Poruba remain twelfth, having won four of their ten outings and picked up no draws. Neither side has accumulated points yet, which tells you everything about how this league is structured at this stage.
And here's the thing — we had called for the visitors to win before kickoff, with 53 per cent confidence. It came in, and it makes sense when you look at the form. Plzeň have won three of their last five, including a 5:1 dismantling of Brno on Wednesday. Poruba's last outing was a 1:3 defeat to Mlada Boleslav.
To be fair, Poruba did not disappear without a fight. They scored three goals, which suggests they found openings against a side that had been dominant. But the away team kept their side in it longer than most would have anticipated. By then, the damage was already done.
Plzeň's recent results read 5:1, 6:1, 5:2, 3:8 and 1:2 — a mixture of confidence and occasional vulnerability. Poruba's sequence has been 1:3, 2:1, 0:2, 6:2 and 2:7, which paints a picture of a team still finding its feet. The gap between seventh and twelfth may look small on paper, but the performances tell a different story.
