KH Energa Toruń Wins 2:1 Against Unia Oświęcim in First Play-Off Quarterfinal Match

On Thursday evening at the Torbyd Tor-Tor ice rink in Toruń, the first quarterfinal match of the Polish Hockey League 2025/2026 season play-offs was played. KH Energa Toruń, competing for a spot in the semi-finals, hosted Unia Oświęcim. Although the visitors from Oświęcim started the game better, the hosts ultimately came back to secure an important 2:1 victory, earning the first point in the best-of-two series. The first period clearly belonged to Unia Oświęcim. Coach Piotr Sarnik's players dominated the game during this period, created more chances, and opened the scoring in the 15th minute. After a defensive error by Toruń near their own goal, Mateusz Michalski, taking advantage of the confusion, flawlessly capitalized on the situation, beating Maciej Miarka. For the following minutes, the visitors continued to dictate the pace, and the hosts' goalkeeper had to intervene after several accurate shots to keep his team in the game. The Toruń hockey players, favored by some experts before the match, seemed surprised by the pace and aggression of their opponent. Ice hockey in Poland has a long tradition, and the top division has operated under various names since 1926. The rivalry between clubs from Oświęcim and Toruń has its historical dimension, although in recent years, teams from Jastrzębie-Zdrój or Gdańsk have more often been at the top of the league. The PHL play-offs, played in a best-of-two series format, represent the culmination of the season and decide the national champion. The turning point came in the second period. The Toruń team took to the ice with greater determination and began to put pressure on the visitors' defense. The turning point proved to be a successful power play. In the 26th minute, after a pass from Patryk Wronka, Mateusz Gościński scored with a shot from the left side to equalize at 1:1. The goal boosted the confidence of the hosts, who maintained the initiative until the intermission between periods, though without increasing their lead. The final decision came in the third period. In the 47th minute, after another offensive combination in which Wronka again played a key role, Michał Jaros scored the winning goal for Toruń. In the final minutes of the match, Unia Oświęcim threw themselves into the attack, even pulling their goalkeeper for an extra attacker, but the hosts' defenders effectively protected their one-goal lead. „Play-off to nie sprint, to maraton. Musimy patrzeć szeroko, nie tylko na jeden mecz.” (Play-offs are not a sprint, they are a marathon. We must look broadly, not just at one match.) — President of KH Energa Toruń A key figure on the winners' side was Patryk Wronka, who assisted on both of Toruń's goals, becoming the main creator of their offensive play. Goalkeeper Maciej Miarka, despite conceding an early goal, saved the team on several crucial occasions, including after dangerous actions by Unia forwards such as Łukasz Nalewajka. On the visitors' side, the scorer of their only goal, Mateusz Michalski, stood out positively, as did the entire first forward line, which for most of the first period gave the Toruń defenders no respite. Approximately 3,500 fans were present in the stands, mostly supporting the hosts, who after the final whistle took to the ice to celebrate the victory together with the players. The victory gives KH Energa Toruń a 1:0 lead in the two-game series. The second match will be played at Unia Oświęcim's ice rink. The hosts of the return leg must win the match by at least a two-goal margin or, in case of a one-goal victory, force Toruń into overtime and possibly penalty shots to keep their chances of advancing alive. For the Toruń team, the match in Oświęcim will be an opportunity to finally seal their place in the semi-finals, where the winner of the pair between GKS Katowice and ComArch Cracovia awaits. Toruń's coach, Jacek Płachta, will have to maintain his team's concentration, while Unia's coach, Piotr Sarnik, will be looking for a way to revive his team's offense, which clearly lost momentum after initial successes in the first match.