Vitek Vanecek Earns First AHL Win in Last Game of Season

Vitek Vanecek raises his arms after celebrating his first AHL win in his first AHL game. (All photos by Kyle Mace / Chocolate Hockey)

A 6:15 am flight greeted Vitek Vanecek this morning after he was told he would be playing for the Hershey Bears Sunday night in the Chocolate and White’s season finally. Vanecek’s South Carolina Stingrays played last night against the Kalamazoo Wings in the first round of the ECHL playoffs, taking a 2-0 lead in their series.

Through translator Jakub Vrana, the 20-year-old netminder said he got very little sleep before heading to Chocolate Town in the morning. “[I] was very excited to get here,” Vanecek said.

“It’s nice to see him comfortable out there,” fellow countryman Vrana said. “He had a great game today. I’m very happy for him.”

“You gotta play the game, you might as well try and win it,” Troy Mann said about the game. “Especially with Vitek coming up last minute, to get his first AHL, it probably would be a bit of a disservice to him if we didn’t come in and compete and play hard, and I thought we did that.”

“I feel good,” Vanecek said about the game. “I slept two hours in the hotel so I feel good. I am not tired – maybe tomorrow because [my] flight is the same [time as today’s].”

Vanecek made a great save on a breakaway that Dustin Jeffery had in the third period to keep the game 0-0 in the final frame. Through Vrana, he said he didn’t get nervous because as a goalie you try to not get nervous in that moment. “It was kind of my fault there,” Vrana then said. “I was hoping like – ‘Please don’t score.’ That was a great save.”

Vanecek will return to South Carolina for the Stingray’s game in the first round of the playoffs as the Bears now prepare for their first round matchup against Portland this coming Friday.

PHOTOS:

Vanecek prepares for Sunday night’s game.

Vitek Vanecek holds the puck after his first AHL win.