TJ Plzeň-Litice facing up to big EHL challenge
TJ Plzeň-Litice saw off their nearest rivals SK Slavia Prague on Saturday to continue their perfect start to the new season ahead of their EHL KO16 date with Rotterdam.
Neat goals from Ondřej Sochor, Jakub Koryťák and Adam Uhlíř earned them the 3-2 result. It adds to two double-figure wins a week before against newly promoted HC 1957 Kadaň and HC Hostivař, something they were grateful for as the flooding in central Europe did not have the same impact in western Czechia.
Plzeň qualified for their second EHL as Czech outdoor champions, going back-to-back in this format as well as indoors to make It four national championships.
And they opened this season well with a relatively stable panel with Matěj Bílek, Jiří Červený and Otakar Gerlický training with the side from their youth section while goalkeeper Tomáš Nečas has retired.
Uhlíř remains the key man; he captains both the club and international side and was voted the best outdoor player in the Czech Republic in both 2019 and 2022.
Among other vital elements to the side are Koryťák who has played in England and Italy, as well as at the World Indoor Championships in Germany in 2015.
Reinhard Nicklas’s father was a first-league soccer player and his step-father was a top tier ice hockey player; he is also well travelled, playing in Italy and Scotland and the EuroHockey Championship in Belgium 2013 as well as the qualifiers for the Tokyo Olympics.
Lukáš Benda is a former captain of the country’s junior team while Kryštof Šesták – played in 2024 indoor Championships, the Under-21 and senior outdoor championships.
He has been part of the first team since he was 15 and looks on course to play his part despite a nasty torn calf injury in July which initially looked to keep him on the sidelines for six months.
For the first month, he could barely step on his foot but, with intense physio and work, he has made excellent progress and is now hopeful of playing his part in the EHL for a second time.
“Where there is a will, there is a way,” he said. “Playing in the EHL was a dream I never expected to come true. It’s a completely different world, you’re playing against professional players and I’m glad I can experience that.
“We have now a great group of guys in the team and we can play this tournament for the second time in a row. I have been looking forward to it since the end of May when we won the title.”
Captain Uhlíř agrees: “It was a very long journey for the club to get to this stage, putting things together over six years, then getting to those European finals, building up experience and so on,” he told the EHL website.
One of the famous parts of their journey got plenty of airtime last October in Barcelona with their colourful supporters making their presence felt in the stands and they expect a healthy crew to make it to London once again.
Last year saw them go toe-to-toe with Scotland’s Western Wildcats before conceding two late goals; the next day, they faced a daunting task against Bloemendaal who showed the gulf in level.
“It was a hard first experience for us last year; it was another level because we only saw these players in the Olympic Games and on the TV before. And then we meet with them on the pitch! Some moments were pretty bad but we also we saw that we can also play or challenge them. Knowing that, I think this year will be better for us!
“We have been preparing since July physically and working to better our hockey skills, try and do our best against Rotterdam and I know every player will go in the mindset for the game.”
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