Sochi celebrates play-off spot. February 24 round-up

KHL newcomer HC Sochi came out on top in the three-way tussle for eighth place, calmly downing Lada 3-1 beside the Black Sea to steer clear of rivals Severstal and Atlant. The team from the south only came into being over the summer but successfully rounded off the celebrations to mark the first anniversary of the Olympic Games by marching into the play-offs at the first time of asking. With so much anticipation around this game it was important for the home team to seize the early initiative, and Max Warn’s ninth-minute goal gave Sochi the lead. More importantly it settled any pre-game nerves, both on and off the ice. Andrei Kostitsyn doubled the advantage early in the second period and when old stager Pyotr Schastlivy made it 3-0 in the 45th minute it was clear that a happy ending was in sight. Martin Zatovic got one back for Lada with a short-handed goal but the night belonged to the home team. Sochi now faces CSKA in the play-off, a daunting task but one that head coach Vyacheslav Butsayev wil ...