Beryozkin lifts Loko past Minsk. October 31 round-up
There was only one KHL game for Hallowe’en, and it produced just one goal. Maxim Beryozkin potted the winner for Lokomotiv at home to Dinamo Minsk.
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 1 Dinamo Minsk 0 (0-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Ivan Bocharov made it back-to-back shut-outs to lead Lokomotiv to a narrow victory over Dinamo Minsk. Following the weekend 2-0 win over Torpedo, Igor Nikitin kept the same players, albeit in different lines. Dinamo, meanwhile, reworked its first line and Craig Woodcroft pushed 18-year-old Vadim Moroz alongside Ryan Spooner and Cedric Paquette.
In the early stages, Dinamo had the edge. The visitor spent more time on the attack and had more goal attempts, albeit without seriously troubling Bocharov. Towards the end of the opening frame, Lokomotiv came into the game more and Stepan Nikulin might have opened the scoring when presented with an open net. However, his shot was blocked by Denis Mosalyov.
In the middle frame, Dinamo managed to get the puck in the net. However, the goal was ruled out because the shot came in after the whistle.
The only goal came in the 51st minute. A Dinamo attack broke down when a big hit left Joseph Duszak on the ice. Lokomotiv had a de facto power play with the Minsk defenseman unable to get back into the game, and the home team converted it into a goal. Duszak’s absence left a gap behind the net for Artur Kayumov to exploit. He turned Paquette inside out and got the puck to the slot for Beryozkin to rifle home his third of the season. The Dinamo bench challenged the play, but the video review upheld the on-ice decision and Lokomotiv had the lead at last.
From that point on, the home team looked to close out the game and protect its lead. The tactics worked. Dinamo struggled to create scoring opportunities in the final 10 minutes and home goalie.
