Rather improbably, HK Nitra is the champion of the Slovak Extraliga. After finishing eighth out of 12 teams during the regular season, Nitra barely survived a play-in series against Dukla Trenčín, but then eliminated, in succession first-seeded HK Poprad in the quarterfinals, second-seeded Dukla Michalovce in the semifinals, and then swept third-seeded HK Spišská Nová Ves in the finals.

The fourth game of the finals in Nitra was scoreless until the final five minutes of the third period. Samuel Buček scored what initially looked like the winning goal for Nitra with 4:29 left, but with the goalie out for an extra attacker, Todd Burgess tied it for Spišská Nová Ves with 1:02 to play. Just 1:59 into overtime, Miloš Bubela ended the series and delivered Nitra its second ever national title.

“I don't see myself as a hero, it was the performance of the whole team,” said Bubela. “We were all together in all the games, the series, that’s why we made it here. The games were close, we struggled a lot today, but we did it. The celebrations will probably last forever. It’s unbelievable.”

“It was a special season,” said Nitra coach Antonín Stavjaňa. “They underestimated us rightly, the first round was shaky, but then we learned to play in the playoffs. We locked ourselves together as a team and that was what did it.”

Nitra has been home to historically great Slovak players such as Žigmund Pálffy and Jozef Stümpel and newer ones like Šimon Nemec. It’s also home to Branislav Mezei, who many hockey fans outside of Slovakia might be surprised to learn is still playing and, in fact, at 43 is the captain of this current Nitra team.

This is Nitra’s second title, the first back in 2015-16. Nitra also won the IIHF Continental Cup in 2022-23.