Capital gains - Beijing victorious, CSKA , Dynamo triumphant. August 15

Ivan Romazan Memorial Tournament

Kunlun Red Star (Beijing) vs. Traktor (Chelyabinsk): 2-1 SO (1-0, 0-1, 0-0, 0-0, 1-0)

A very even contest between Kunlun and Traktor began with each side losing a player. Chelyabinsk forward Alexei Kruchinin did not return to the ice after being injured in a collision with Beijing attacker Brandon Yip, after which the latter was sent to the locker room for illegal use of the knee. The game ended with a marathon shootout, only settled after each team had made 16 attempts. Geoffrey Kinrade's successful strike finally brought victory to Kunlun.

Goals: 1-0 Kane (Bellemore, 9.01), 1-1 Sharov (Yakutsenya, Vishnevsky, 33.11), 2-1, Kinrade (65.00 – Shootout)

Goaltenders: Karhunen – Francouz.

Sibir (Novosibirsk Region) vs. Metallurg (Magnitogorsk): 2-0 (0-0, 0-0, 2-0)

This surprise shutout win by Sibir over the hosts meant that Kunlun Red Star finished top of the tournament standings.

Sibir head coach Pavel Zubov:

”We are putting together a team, half of whom are new arrivals, and we are working to implement a system that will bring us success. So every game, no matter the opposition, is a step forward. We came through, but today was a bit of an endurance test.”

Photo: 15.08.17. Cup of I.K. Romazan. Sibir (Novosibirsk Region) - Metallurg (Magnitogorsk)

Magnitogorsk head coach Ilya Vorobyov was philosophical:

”You cannot win any game if you don't score, but these things happen, and Alexander Salak played very well in the Sibir goal. We still have a week in which to iron out our mistakes, and we're working on it.”

Goals: 1-0 Vorobyov (Bergstrom, Ignatovich, 43.35), 2-0 Ignatovich (59.05)

Goaltenders: Salak – Koshechkin.

Tournament awards
Best goaltender – Vasily Koshechkin (Metallurg Mg)
Best defensemen – Geoffrey Kinrade (Kunlun Red Star), Nick Schaus (Metallurg Mg)
Best forwards – Maxim Yakutsenya (Traktor), Patrik Zackrisson (Sibir), Tomas Filippi (Metallurg Mg)
Top scorer - Geoffrey Kinrade (Kunlun Red Star) - 3 (2+1) points.

Viktor Blinov Memorial Tournament

The opening day of this tournament in Omsk – featuring Avangard, Barys (Astana, Kazakhstan), Avtomobilist (Yekaterinburg), Amur (Khabarovsk), and Ugra (Khanty-Mansiysk) – saw victories for Avtomobilist and for the hosts, Avangard.

Amur (Khabarovsk) vs. Avtomobilist (Yekaterinburg): 0-2 (0-0, 0-1, 0-1)

Avtomobilist head coach Vladimir Krikunov:

”It was the first game of the tournament, and both teams wanted to win, so it was tough match. We knew the Amur guys had played well in Moscow, where they twice beat Dynamo, but my guys were ready and I'm proud of them.”

Goals: 0-1 Pare (Simakov, 36.57), 0-2 Lyamin (Simakov, Pare, 50.04)

Goaltenders: Kiselyov – Sokhatsky

Avangard (Omsk) vs. Ugra (Khanty-Mansiysk): 4-1 (4-1, 0-0, 0-0)

Goals: 1-0 Pyanov (Koshelev, Mikheyev, 00.43), 2-0 Lemtyugov (Berezin, Stas, 03.38), 2-1 Skachkov (Lekomtsev, Shulakov, 04.23), 3-1 Perezhogin (Kugryshev, 16.57, PPG) , 4-1 Fisenko (Perezhogin, Kugryshev, 19.58)

Goaltenders: Furch – Proskuryakov

Republic of Bashkortostan Cup

This tournament in Ufa also got underway on Tuesday, and all four participating teams - the hosts, Salavat Yulaev, plus Lada (Togliatti), Neftekhimik (Nizhnekamsk) and Admiral (Vladivostok) – were in action on the opening day. It was not a day for surprises: Andrei Nazarov's Neftekhimik continued its formidable preseason form with 3-1 win over Lada, and Erkka Westerlund's Salavat Yulaev enjoyed an emphatic 4-1 win over Admiral.

Neftekhimik (Nizhnekamsk) vs. Lada (Togliatti): 3-1 (1-0, 2-1, 0-0)

Goals: 1-0 Arkalov (Khairullin, 10.59), 1-1 Zernov (27.12), 2-1 Piganovich (Poryadin, Avtsin, 32.10), 3-1, Graborenko (Shiksatdarov, 32.49)

Goaltenders: Yezhov - Lazushin

Salavat Yulaev (Ufa) vs. Admiral (Vladivostok): 4-1 (2-0, 1-1, 1-0)

Goals:1-0 Kulyash (Bodrov, Makarov, 16.01), 2-0 Larsen (Hartikainen, Omark, 17.59), 3-0 Gareyev (Makarov, 38.14), 3-1 Makhanovsky (Butuzov, 39.19), 4-1 Lisin (Loginov, Bodrov, 53.22)

Goaltenders: Kareyev – Bobkov, Serebryakov

Nikolai Puchkov Tournament

HC Sochi certainly has no intention of preparing for the season the easy way. A day after Sergei Zubov's team faced Gagarin Cup winner SKA Saint Petersburg on the champion's own ice (and lost 1-3), they faced off against Team Canada's pre-Olympic team. The North Americans won 5-1 and will go head-to-head with the host to decide the Group A winner. In Group B, Severstal head coach Alexander Gulyavtsev was left with plenty on which to ponder after he saw his team shut out by the Petersburg Army Men's VHL side, SKA-Neva, in a 0-3 loss.

Photo: 15.08.17. 15.08.17. The Nikolai Puchkov memorial tournament. HC Sochi (Sochi) - Canada Team

HC Sochi (Sochi) vs. Team Canada: 1-5 (0-2, 1-2, 0-1)

Goals: 0-1 – Beck (06.38), 0-2 Collins (Matsumoto, Pouliot, 10.01), 1-2 Khokhlov (Morozov, Lapenkov, 33.20), 1-3 Beck, (36.08), 1-4 Matsumoto (Robinson, Collins, 36.57), 1-5 Micflikier (Gragnani, Beck, 45.02)

Goaltenders: Barulin – Poulin

SKA-Neva (Saint Petersburg, VHL) vs. Severstal (Cherepovets): 3-0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0)

Goals: 1-0 Kondratyev (Gimbatov, Knyzhov, 02.01), 2-0 Kvartalnov (Maltsev, Dergachyov, 34.49), 3-0, Altybarmakian (Rukavishnikov, 52.06)

Goaltenders: Melnychuk – Hudacek

Mayor of Moscow Cup

Another tournament begins, and one contested by fierce rivals – Dynamo, CSKA and Spartak from the capital, and from Moscow Region, last season's surprise success, Vityaz of Podolsk. So good has Vityaz been in this preseason that Tuesday's 3-4 defeat at the hands of crisis-plagued Dynamo could almost rank as a shock result, were it not for the impressive manner in which Vladimir Vorobyov's Blue-and-Whites have brushed aside the club's off-ice problems during their preseason preparations. In the CSKA – Spartak clash, the Army Men defeated the Gladiators 3-0.

Dynamo (Moscow) vs. Vityaz (Moscow Region): 4-3 (2-1, 1-0, 1-2)

Photo: 15.08.17. Moscow mayor cup. Dynamo (Moscow) - Vityaz (Moscow Region)

HC Dynamo Moscow head coach Vladimir Vorobyov:

“It was a good game, and I think the fans enjoyed it because we had an abundance of goals.. We still have a few things to work on, and we'll keep trying out some of our younger players. We had some great moments, and some not-so-great. We were fine in the first two periods, but in the third the team didn't play the way the coaching staff had told them.”

Goals: 0-1 Rissanen (Horak, 2.13, PPG) , 1-1 Hietanen (Tarasov, Bryukvin, 7.48, PPG) , 2-1 Karsums (Varnakov, Vishnevsky, 11.44, PPG) , 3-1 Boyd (Hietanen, 32.52, SHG) , 3-2 Horak (Pautov, 47.04), 4-2 Sidlyarov (Solovyov, Zaitsev, 49.22), 4-3 Mankinen (Kopeikin, Rissanen, 52.21)

Goaltenders: Yeryomenko – Saprykin (59.14)

CSKA (Moscow) vs. Spartak (Moscow): 3-0 (1-0, 0-0, 2-0)

Photo: 15.08.17. Moscow mayor cup. CSKA (Moscow) - Spartak (Moscow)

Goals: 1-0 Lyubimov (4.18, SHG) , 2-0 Petrov (Shumakov, Ozhiganov, 42.40), 3-0 Burdasov (53.11)

Goaltenders: Sorokin - Bespalov