Poruba Relegated: First League Hockey Disappointment & Chomutov’s Survival

Chomutov secured its place in the Czech First Hockey League, while Poruba suffered relegation, marking a dramatic end to the Maxa League’s regular season. Despite Poruba’s 4-3 victory over Pardubice B, Chomutov’s 3-0 win against Jihlava proved decisive, granting them the better head-to-head record needed to avoid the drop. Slavia Prague clinched the top spot in the league, despite a 2-3 loss to Tábor.

The pivotal match for Chomutov unfolded at home against Jihlava. Knowing a win would guarantee safety regardless of Poruba’s result, the Piráti came out with aggressive intent. The breakthrough came in the second period, with Cole Coskey scoring from a rebound in the 24th minute. Petr Kratochvíl extended the lead with a goal during a two-on-one break and Michal Gut added another from a clear breakaway in the 38th minute. A stellar performance from Chomutov’s goaltender, Pavel Jekel, who stopped all 23 shots from Dukla, sealed the victory and confirmed their league status.

Poruba, needing a result better than Chomutov’s, started their match against Pardubice B brightly. Daniel Herčík opened the scoring in the 5th minute with a power-play goal. Petr Mrázek equalized for the home side in the 8th minute, but Herčík quickly restored Poruba’s lead just 21 seconds later. The second period saw Poruba take the lead with goals from Razgals and Gegeris, only for Tomáš Urban to level the score for Pardubice B. Gegeris scored the decisive goal in the 38th minute, again on the power play, securing a 4-3 win for Poruba, but not enough to save them from relegation.

The outcome was a bitter pill to swallow for Poruba, a club that had consistently performed well in the regular season in recent years, finishing third in 2023, first in 2024, and fourth in 2025. However, they had consistently fallen short in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. This season marked a significant downturn, culminating in their return to the third tier of Czech hockey. “We knew what we were playing for and that it wasn’t in our hands,” said Poruba coach Tomáš Potěšil, struggling to find the words to express the disappointment. “But we believed that if we won, Jihlava might be able to beat Chomutov given their results. The boys deserve praise for their performance in the match, their attitude, and their play, but of course, given the final result, this season ended in disaster for us.”

Potěšil revealed the team attempted to shield themselves from the unfolding events in Chomutov during the game. “We turned off our phones to avoid being distracted, but after the second period, with the long delay due to a goal review, the players probably found out, since it showed in their play,” he explained. “Even we knew, but we urged the guys to play as they had in the previous two periods. We wanted to simply finish the game and then see how it turned out. But Chomutov’s lead was already too big, and you could see in the players’ heads that it was affecting them.”

Slavia Prague finished the regular season with 100 points, edging out Kolín (99) and Jihlava (96). Despite their loss to Tábor, Slavia’s overall performance secured them the top spot. Frýdek-Místek secured direct entry into the quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory over Třebíč. Tábor and Zlín will participate in the preliminary round, alongside Pardubice B and Zlín. Sokolov, after a promising season, dropped out of the playoff picture following a 1-5 loss to Přerov.

Radek Číp of Sokolov concluded the season as the league’s leading scorer with 57 points and the top goalscorer with 27 goals, but his individual success couldn’t prevent his team’s decline to 11th place and eventual elimination. The season’s conclusion marks a turning point for several clubs, with Slavia Prague aiming for further success in the playoffs, while Poruba faces the challenge of rebuilding in the lower division.

The dramatic final day of the regular season saw several storylines reach their climax. Chomutov’s survival, Poruba’s relegation, and Slavia’s championship all unfolded in a series of tense matches that will be remembered as a defining moment in the Maxa League’s recent history.