BRATISLAVA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kosice remain top of the Slovak Extraliga ice hockey league despite being upset by ninth-ranked Poprad 3-2 in overtime on Sunday in the tenth round of matches.
Kosice's Pavel Klhufek scored twice to put his team ahead, but Poprad's Patrik Svitana became the hero of the night, scoring a goal and assisting the equalizer, as well as providing the game-winning goal 76 seconds into overtime.
Banska Bystrica now trail Kosice in the rankings on goal difference after beating Budapest 5-2 for their fourth consecutive win, in which Finland's Joona Jaaskelainen finished the night with a hat-trick.
Miskolc, the other Hungarian team in the league, ended the night with a defeat as Bratislava triumphed 4-2 on their first trip to the neighboring country to record their third straight victory.
Canadian center Judd Blackwater scored twice for Nitra and assisted another to help his team crush local rivals Nove Zamky 4-0 and snap a four-game losing streak. Nitra's win came under temporary coaching staff after their head coach resigned on Monday.
Last-placed Liptovsky Mikulas slid back into their losing streak, succumbing 6-2 to Zvolen. Veteran attacker Rastislav Spirko finished the night with three goals, helping Zvolen move up from seventh to fifth in the standings.
Trencin managed to break their three-game losing streak by defeating the league's newcomers Michalovce 3-0, climbing in the rankings from tenth to seventh.
