Silesian Metropolis’ sixth EWHL season has ended with, once again, losing in the quarterfinals. While the second consecutive early exit is a down note to end on. This was the first time the team had made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons! 2025 was a bit of a step back, as they finished with a 4-11-2-3 record. Their 19 points put them eighth in the standings. Last year, the team had their best season in franchise history with 15 wins and 45 points. 

The year got off to a rough start, with Silesian Metropolis losing their first six games. On November 2nd, their record stood at 1-9-0-0. The club only had 13 goals in those games, with six coming in a single match. It was a carryover of their struggles from last year’s World Championship, where Poland was relegated after finishing last in Division One Group B. 

The second half of the season would be a new story as the team finished with a 3-2-2-3 record. They also scored 26 goals during the final stretch. Their switch was directly tied to their IIHF reemergence. The national team earned a spot at the final round of Olympic qualification during December after beating South Korea 5-0. 

The EWHL has an interesting playoff rule where the top seeds can pick their opponent. The second half play of Silesian Metropolis made it no surprise that top seed HK PSRZ Bratislava took seventh seed Budapest JA instead. This meant Kazakhstan’s Aisulu Almaty would be Poland’s quarterfinal matchup.

Unfortunately, the Polish squad would be without their main goalies. Starting goalie Martyna Sass would miss the playoffs due to health issues. Backup Agata Kosinski, second most TOI, had other club commitments in Slovakia. Metropolis would be eliminated after losing two matches. They lost game one 5-1. They would have a better showing in game two, losing 3-1. 

For Silesian Metropolis, the year was marked by injuries and star players missing games. Only three players appeared in all 20 regular season games, while an additional four played in 18 games. With such a short season, every missed game adds up. Four regular skaters were also missing from the playoff lineup. 

Polish hockey icon Karolina Pozniewska again led the club with 19 points (15G-4A-19PTS) in 20 games. Her 18 regular season points were 21st among all skaters. While only playing in 12 matches, Olivia Tomczok had a strong year with 9 points (2G-7A-9PTS). Veteran defenseman Patrycja Sfora was also heavily counted on and had 5 points in 20 games, the most among defensemen on the team. 

It was a big year for young players to contribute. 19-year-old Magdalena Lapies had 7 points (4G-3A-7PTS). She was also among only three players to appear in all 22 games. 15-year-old prodigy Malgorzata Zakrzewska had 7 points (3G-4A-7PTS) in 15 appearances. Her 7 points were the most by any U16 skater in the league. 17-year-old defenseman Nikola Isztok also got in 10 games, putting up an assist and finishing only with a -1 rating. 

In net, Sass was putting up another stellar year! She had a .915 save percentage in 15 games. Agata Kosinska, Katarzyna Radomska, and Justyna Koszyk played well in limited appearances. Radomska had a strong playoff run, finishing with a .929 save percentage. Justyna Koszyk was the only U16 goalie to make multiple appearances in the league this year. The highlight of her season was a 33-save shutout against the EC Graz Huskies. With Sass missing this year’s World Championship, Poland had a good opportunity to look at their options against much tougher competition. 

With the EWHL season wrapped up, many Silesian Metropolis members will now play for Poland at the Division 2 Group A World Championship in Bytom. The event will run from April 7th to the 13th. Poland will face off with (in this order) Mexico, Chinese Taipei, Iceland, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and Spain. Poland is expected to be a heavy favorite, but I would watch out for a rising Spain program.

2024 Season Recap

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