BRATISLAVA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- HK Dukla Michalovce closed the quarterfinal playoff series against HK Dukla Trencin on Sunday in Game 6 with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win and advanced to the semifinals of the Slovak ice-hockey premiership Tipos Extraliga for the first time.

After the 3-1 victory in Game 5 on Friday that kept the series alive for Dukla Trencin, the team from the western region of Slovakia wanted to keep going and tie the series on Sunday.

But the visitors' hunger for a semifinal debut prevailed. Michalovce's skilled forward Marek Bartanus, 34, was key for his team's historic success as he pushed the match into overtime with a third-period goal and then decided the outcome with his second of the night six minutes into OT.

"Trencin has a great team, probably the toughest to beat in the quarterfinals. Their skill is great and we had trouble coming out on top. We had to be patient today and it turned out great," summarized Michalovce coach Tomek Valtonen.

In the semifinals, Michalovce will square off against HK Poprad and the winner of regular-season HKM Zvolen will be challenged by HC Slovan Bratislava. Enditem

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