BRATISLAVA, March 7 -- With only four rounds left to play in the second and final stage of Tipsport Liga regular season, the Banska Bystrica Hockey Club stretches its lead on top of the standings to 13 points, securing the Dusan Pasek Trophy awarded to the winner of the regular season as a result.

The "Rams" will thus enter the upcoming playoffs from the first place, exactly like last season, which brought the team from Slovakia's central region its third championship in a row.

Banska Bystrica scored in its Friday fixture against Trencinone's goal in each period to build a steady lead on the way to a clear 3-1 victory on the away game, snapping the home team's four-game winning streak and stretching its own to six in the process.

Second-ranked Slovan Bratislava, one of the three top favorites for the championship triumph, managed to end a streak of four bad results by defeating sixth-ranked Zvolen 3-2 in overtime.

The visitors were going into the third period down by one but Eduard Sedivy shocked Zvolen with a shorthanded goal that tied the game and Ziga Pancze crowned Bratislava's rallying efforts with a game-winner in the second minute of OT.

In a derby match of two teams from the east of Slovakia, fourth-ranked Poprad scored twice in the first period to build a sufficient lead against third Kosice, triumphing 3-1 in the end and cutting the deficit to its upstairs neighbor to seven points in the direct confrontation. Kosice is still missing its top scorer Marcel Hascak due to injury.

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