Radnicki defended the Serbian championship title and won its 3rd national league title in total.
The Kragujevac-based side defeated Novi Beograd 11:8 in front of its fans in the third match of the final, winning the series 3:0.
Both teams played very defensively in the first half, with many saves and blocks, but also many misses at both ends of the pool. Novi Beograd took the lead only once – 1:0, and a few minutes after leveled at 2:2 (both goals were scored by Dimitrijevic). Radnicki then produced a 3:0 series (Vlachopoulos, Prlainovic and Dadvani), building a 5:2 lead in the 14th minute. Milos Cuk ended Novi Beograd’s goalless phase, and at the finish of the first half added one more goal, so his team trailed 4:5 at halftime.
Each team had a low percentage on power-play shots in the first half. Radnicki converted only 1 of 7 opportunities, while Novi Beograd’s conversion rate was 1/8. Novi Beograd created more opportunities, but the hosts’ goalkeeper Radoslav Filipovic had a great performance, posting 13 saves in the first two periods.
Early in the third period, Strahinja Rasovic netted two back-to-back goals to give the hosts a 3-goal lead for the first time (7:4). Radnicki’s defense, commanded by Filipovic, continued to be up to the task. By the end of the third period, the teams exchanged goals, and Radnicki headed into the final quarter with an 8:5 advantage.
Andrija Prlainovic increased the hosts’ lead to 9:5 already in the first possession in the fourth period. The oldest participant in the final, 41-year-old Dusko Pijetlovic, converted a man-up to make it 11:6 with four minutes left on the clock, and there was no way back for Novi Beograd.
The teams slightly improved their powerplay percentages, with Radnicki finishing the match with 3 goals on 15 shots and Novi Beograd with 3/15. Action shots and Radnicki’s strong defense made the difference this time.
2026 Serbian League, final, Game 3
Radnicki – Novi Beograd 11:8 (3:2, 2:2, 3:1, 3:3) – the final score in the series 3:0
Radnicki: S.Rasovic 3, Prlainovic 3, N.Jaksic 1, Vlachopoulos 1, Dadvani 1, Dedovic 1, Pijetlovic 1.
Novi Beograd Tehnomanija: Cuk 3, Urosevic 2, Dimitrijevic 2, Martinovic 1.
All champions (2007-2026): Partizan 10, Crvena Zvezda 2, Novi Beograd 3, Radnicki 3, Sabac 1.
More articles about the Serbian League
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