Rubīns scores as Plzeň win, Krastenbergs gets the better of Jaks in Czech league

Several Latvian players were in action in the Czech Extraliga, the country’s top hockey division, on Friday night, and defenceman Kristiāns Rubīns stood out. He opened the scoring for Plzeň away at Mountfield HK in Hradec Králové, and his team won 2-1, according to szinas.com match centre data.

Rubīns: a first-period goal

Rubīns put Plzeň ahead in the first period, assisted by Lev and Malik. Lev made it 2-0 in the second, the hosts pulled one back in the same period, and there were no goals in the third. Lev finished with a goal and an assist.

Latvian meeting in Litvínov

Two Latvia internationals met in Litvínov: Jānis Jaks of Verva and Renārs Krastenbergs of Motor České Budějovice. The hosts led 1-0 after the first period and pulled away to 3-1 in the second, but the visitors cut the gap before the second interval, then scored twice in the third to win 4-3. Motor’s winner came on the power play.

Neither Jaks nor Krastenbergs registered a point, and each took one penalty.

Gavars wins, Zīle loses

Fēlikss Gavars’ Mladá Boleslav beat Vítkovice 3-1 at home. It was 1-1 after two periods before the hosts scored twice in the third, the last into an empty net. Gavars did not register a point. Kristaps Zīle’s Liberec lost 5-2 at Třinec, with Zīle taking one penalty.

Several other games involving Latvians in the Czech Republic were still under way when this report was prepared.

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