BRATISLAVA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Poprad Hockey Team remains on top of the Slovak ice-hockey premiership Tipos Extraliga, leading Zvolen HKM by just a single point.
Third-placed Slovan Bratislava is missing several key players due to injuries and failed to score in its away game in Miskolc, losing to the tenth-placed team in the league.
Leaders Poprad kept a steady, one-goal-per-period approach against the penultimate team of the standings Banska Bystrica while the latter welcomed back veteran Italian forward Brian Ihnacak after he tried his luck in Italy. Ihnacak managed to score on his first night, but it was not enough to fend off the 3-1 defeat, Banska Bzstricas' eighth in a row.
Zvolen had it easy to gain three points and stay at Poprad's heels in the standings. The visitors took a two-goal lead in the second period and although the home team cut the deficit to one early in the third, Zvolen managed to steer the game toward a 3-1 victory, making it its sixth consecutive triumph.
In other fixtures, Jegesmedvek Miskolc defeated Slovan Bratislava 2-0, 07 Detva overcame HK Nitra 2-1 in penalty shootout, Dukla Ingema Michalovce beat Mikron Nove Zamky 3-1 and Kosice lost to HK Dukla Trencin 3-0. Enditem