The 2024 Tauron Hokej Liga season is over! For the first time since 2004, where they won their seventh straight, Unia Oświęcim is Poland’s champion. The playoffs were exciting this year, as they showed the growth of parity in the league. Despite the gaps that emerged in the standings with the top four playoff teams versus the bottom four, no playoff series was over quickly. When the stakes were the highest, each team showed its best for a chance at glory. 

Still, the finals were the giant cherry on top. An incredible seven-game series ended in the best possible way with a sudden-death overtime. It was the ultimate way to end a heated series featuring Poland’s two best clubs. It took 66 minutes for someone to score the golden goal. But before that, we should recap the rest of the playoffs. 

Quarterfinals

1. GKS Katowice (4) vs. 8. Zaglebie Sosnowiec (2)

GKS Katowice only lost seven times in 40 games during the regular season. Sosnowiec wasn’t in danger of missing the playoffs, but they were the lowest seed after failing to find consistency. Still, the fans in Sosnowiec packed the rink every game as the team led the league in attendance. It wouldn’t have been surprising to see GKS Katowice advance to the second round quickly. 

It wasn’t easy for Katowice. Game one went as expected, with a 5-2 win for the top speed, but they would lose game two on home ice 4-1. In front of Sosnowiec fans, the two clubs would once again split the games. Katowice took game three 2-1 thanks to a 35-save effort by John Murray. Roman Szturc scored an overtime winner to give Sosnowiec a 4-3 win in game four. Katowice would take control after that. They would end the series with a 2-0 victory in game five and a 6-2 win in game six. 

Player of the Series: Joona Monto (F, GKS Katowice) 4G-3A-7PTS 

2. Unia Oswiecim (4) vs. 7. Cracovia Krakow (3)

Our only seven-game series of the first round came when Cracovia almost pulled off a history-changing upset. Oswiecim was riding high into the playoffs, while Cracovia faced many questions on and off the ice. It was a rough season for Cracovia, with their worst finish since 2005 when the team was promoted back to the top league in Poland. Oswiecim was the opposite with what looked to be their best season since their early 2000s dynasty ended. 

Cracovia jumped on this series, winning game one 5-3 on the road. Game two went to a shootout, and a lone goal by Kalle Valtola kept Oswiecim from being down 2-0. These two teams traded wins back and forth over the entire series, leading to game seven. With only six minutes left in the final period of the final game, Daniel Olsson Trkulja would score Oswiecim’s first drama-filled postseason goal. With the game seven win, Oswiecim was able to escape Cracovia barely. 

Player of the Series: Kalle Valtola (D, Unia Oswiecim) 2G-2A-4PTS

3. GKS Tychy (4) vs. 6. Podhale Nowy Targ (2)

While Tychy didn’t finish as the top seed, they aimed to complete the sweep of trophies in Poland. The club had already won the Polish Cup and Super Cup. The THL championship was all that remained. Podhale was Poland’s ultimate wildcard team. They might be blown out, or they might blow out their opponent. Either way, the game would always feature a lot of action. 

While Podhale only lost game one in overtime with a 2-1 final, they would lose the next two games with a combined score of 8-2. Tychy was quickly up three games to none and ready to advance in their trophy quest. The wildcard team would strike back, winning games four and five with 3-2 finals. Tychy would squash the comeback effort in game six with a 5-0 win. 

Player of the Series: Paweł Bizub (G, Podhale Nowy Targ) 6GP .922 SV%

4. JKH GKS Jastrzebie (4) vs. 5. KH Torun (2)

While this series was the closest of the seeds, there was still a 20-point difference between the two clubs during the regular season. This was the one series where, going in, I picked an upset. Torun had a hot start to the year and cooled off, but then really picked it back up towards the end of the season. Jastzrebie was one of the best four squads this year and the runner-up during the Polish Cup. 

My upset pick looked good to start as Torun won the first two games with 3-2 and 1-0 finals. Unfortunately, during that start, Torun lost starting goalie Julius Pohjanoksa and star defenseman Mateusz Zielinski for the playoffs. JKH GKS Jastrzebie would then win four straight to crush the upset attempt. All four games were one-goal games, with two going to overtime. Losing four straight one-goal games is unlucky. All six games were decided by a single goal, about as close of a series as possible. 

Player of the Series: Jakub Izacky (F, JKH GKS Jastrzebie) 2G-3A-5PTS

Semi-finals

1. GKS Katowice (4) vs. 4. JKH GKS Jastrzebie (1)

All the top seeds advanced despite each series going to at least six games. This could have been another close fight. Jastrzebie took game one after a huge 40-save performance by Jakub Lackovic. That game-one success wouldn’t carry over as Katowice stormed to the finals, winning the next four games with a combined score of 13-3. The Jastrzebie offense picked a terrible time to slow down. Many of their key veterans were completely shut down in this second-round matchup. 

Player of the Series: Ben Skoay (F, GKS Katowice) 4G-2A-6PTS 

2. Unia Oswiecim (4) vs. 3. GKS Tychy (1)

Only three points separated these two heavyweights during the regular season. Oswiecim had the best offense in the league this year with 164 goals, 4.1 goals for per game. Tychy had the best defense in the league, only allowing 92 goals, 2.3 against per game. It’s the kind of matchup that sounds perfect. The Tychy defense won game one with a 2-0 final. This series would mirror the other semi-final. Oswiecim would win the next four with a combined score of 16-5. The Oswiecim offense was too much, even for Tychy, who couldn’t keep up offensively. 

Player of the Series: Mark Kaleinikovas (F, Unia Oswiecim) 4G-1A-5PTS

Bronze Medal Series 

3. GKS Tychy (2) vs. JKH GKS Jastrzebie (0)

Playing for a bronze medal and missing out on the finals is disappointing. Still, it allows one club to end their season positively. The Tychy offense came alive in the best-of-three-game series, while Tomas Fucik was almost perfect in net. Tychy won the bronze medal with a 5-2 and 2-1 victory. It’s not the trophy sweep, but two trophies and a bronze medal is a pretty good year. 

Player of the Series: August Nilsson (D, GKS Tychy) 3G-1A-4PTS

THL Championship 

1. GKS Katowice (3 ) vs. 2. Unia Oswiecim (4)

The two best teams of the regular season collide in the finals. It was an actual test to see who the best team in Poland was this year. These teams felt a step above the rest of the league. While Tychy was right there with them in the standings, Tychy didn’t have the offense to keep up but had captured the first two trophies of the Polish hockey season. Katowice and Oswiecim were full of firepower and could stop the rest of the league at the same time. These teams were packed with skill while being built well-rounded with depth in mind. 

It didn’t take long for this series to kick off in Katowice. Elliot Lorraine scored 49 seconds into game one to give the blue and white a lead. Oswiecim had the lead going into the third, but that wouldn’t last as Grzegorz Pasiut tied it for Katowice. This game would go to Unia Oswiecim after a goal by Mark Kaleinikovas at the 46-minute mark. The Lithuanian was in another gear during the playoffs and scoring at a much higher rate than in the regular season.

In game two, Katowice showed why they were the best team in the regular season. The back-to-back champs won 3-0. John Murray posted a 29-save shutout and got plenty of offensive support. Katowice controlled the puck most of the game and led in shots 42-29. 

GKS Katowice błyskawicznie objął prowadzenie w meczu z Re-Plast Unią Oświęcim w 2. meczu finałowym Tauron Hokej Ligi!

🔴📲 Oglądaj online▶️ https://t.co/ToCLRfmL5J pic.twitter.com/pcT8W22KSS

— TVP SPORT (@sport_tvppl) April 3, 2024

Now we moved over to the Hala Lodowa MOSiR Oswiecim. The pace went back to even as both teams scored twice in the first period but couldn’t score in the remaining 40 minutes. It was so even that they both finished with 31 shots on goal.  In the first overtime of the series, Bartosz Fraszko was the hero for Katowice, putting them in the driver’s seat. 

Game four was insane! After the first 22 minutes, Oswiecim found themselves up 3-0! Katowice stormed both, scoring four goals in eight minutes to take the lead. Both Joona Monto and Ryan Cook getting two a piece in the comeback. We then had our second lead change as Erik Ahopelto and Sebastian Kowalówka scored within four minutes of each other to make it 5-4 Oswiecim. Katowice didn’t go down quietly and tied it up with 12 minutes left. Five minutes later, Oswiecim took their third lead of the game. Less than two minutes after that lead change, Pasiut scored to tie it at six. No more scoring would be had for the final six minutes, and we were tied 6-6 going into overtime. In extra time, Oswiecim’s Villa Heikkinen was cast as our protagonist. His goal finally gave the blue and white a lead that would stick.

Game five again saw neither team giving an inch, and they were tied 1-1 going into the final 10 minutes of the match. Each team would score one more goal within two minutes of each other. Thus, we were going to the third straight overtime finals game. Sam Marklund was a beast all season, and he scored 18 minutes into the second overtime to finally end this marathon. Katowice was now one game away from winning their third straight championship. 

Game six could have been Katowice’s finale on a historic season. With their backs against the wall, Oswiecim played their best game of the series. 5-0 would be the biggest win of the finals for either side. Five different goal scorers, along with Linus Lundin’s shutout, forced game seven. Over 4,500 fans in Oswiecim packed the rink and watched their team refuse to let this opportunity slip away. 

This all led to game seven. The entire season, these two teams couldn’t separate themselves. Through six THL Championship games, they could not separate themselves. Now, in game seven, they couldn’t separate themselves. Through the first sixty minutes of this game, neither team found the back of the net. Every shot had the crowd almost about to pass out. The Katowice crowd only briefly interrupting their chants to gasp at those close chances. At the 66-minute mark, Mark Kaleinikovas went from playoff hero to club legend with a championship-winning goal.

Zadecydował jeden strzał w dogrywce!@UniaOswiecim po 20 latach ponownie mistrzem Polski w hokeju na lodzie! pic.twitter.com/XN5n0znMNC

— TVP SPORT (@sport_tvppl) April 15, 2024

Player of the Series: Ville Heikkinen (F, Unia Oswiecim) 2G-7A-9PTS

For GKS Katowice, they did not accomplish the three-peat. While it’s a disappointing end to their year, it was a fantastic run, and by no means is it over. This year, the stakes were higher as Poland was once again granted a spot in the Champions Hockey League. Oswiecim will now be the fifth Polish club to compete in the European champs competition.

After a dynasty run that saw Oswiecim win seven straight titles, the last one in 2004, they were relegated in 2008. It was a long journey back to the top of Polish hockey. While the club did win a couple of bronze medals, they never felt like a true contender until 2020 when the club hired Slovenian coach Nik Zupančič. The club sat second in the 2020 standings until the season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Zupančič left Unia Oswiecim halfway through the 2021 season, and I felt bad for the fans. It seemed like he had the team on the right path and brought together a composition of skilled players not seen often in Poland. Former NHL head coach Kevin Constantine took over and saw the club eliminated in the quarterfinals. Canadian coach Tom Coolen would take over next. He took the club to their first finals appearance since 2005 but didn’t lift the trophy. After only a year and a half break, Zupančič returned for the 2023 season. 

While the first year saw a slight step back in a bronze medal game, Oswiecim came into this year with an even better roster and could now finish their story. The entire season was a race at the top between Katowice, Oswiecim, and Tychy. Despite a brief scared they moved past Cracovia. Oswiecim was able to surpass Tychy for good in the semi-finals. It then had to end with taking down Katowice in the best finals in league history. The blue and white finally finished their story and are champs once again.

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