Vityaz edges Severstal, East wins Challenge Cup. December 3 round-up
Saturday saw one KHL game, and Vityaz got an important win in the battle for the Western Conference playoffs. It was also the opening day of the All-Star Week, and fans in Chelyabinsk saw Team East enjoy a convincing win over its Western Conference counterpart.
Galuzin gives Vityaz a vital win
Vityaz Moscow Region 3 Severstal Cherepovets 2 (2-0, 0-2, 1-0)
Severstal missed the chance to increase the pressure on eight-placed Vityaz after a late goal from Vladimir Galuzin gave the home team victory. The Steelmen were hoping to reduce the gap to the playoff zone to a single point with a win here, but after rallying from 0-2 to tie the game Andrei Razin’s men could not finish the job.
Vityaz made the better start, and opened a 2-0 lead in the first period. Kirill Rasskazov’s close-range finish broke the deadlock in the ninth minute, and Alexander Yaremchuk doubled that lead midway through the frame.
However, Severstal hit back strongly in the second period. Kirill Pilipenko reduced the arrears early in the middle frame when he emerged from behind the net to fire in a shot that pinballed off a forest of sticks before bouncing into the net. Vityaz then killed a penalty, but soon after returning to full strength the home team allowed a second goal. Nikita Rozhkov was the scorer this time to tie the game in the 29th minute.
The visitor had much the better of the second period and looked capable of going on to end its three-game losing streak. However, Vityaz improved in the final stanza. Both teams had chances to win it, but the decisive effort came from Galuzin on 58:03. Dmitry Kugryshev, recently arrived from Spartak, created the chance when he got to the rebound from his own shot and knocked it to Galuzin at the back door. The home captain had a wide open net to aim for and made no mistake.
Junior Challenge Cup
Team East 5 Team West 2 (1-0, 1-1, 3-1)
The All-Star Week got underway in Chelyabinsk with the emerging talents from the Junior Hockey League taking center stage in the opening event. A crowd of more than 5,000 came out to watch the next generation of Russian hockey talent strut its stuff. They saw the Eastern Conference claim a convincing 5-2 victory.
That was the second successive victory for the East, and it cuts the West’s lead in the overall series to 8-4.
As usual, the top four players from the Challenge Cup get a chance to join the KHL All-Stars next weekend. This year’s stellar quartet comprises defenseman Artyom Zhukov (Sibirskiye Snipery) and forwards Roman Kantserov (Stalnye Lisy) and Vladimir Konov (Loko-76). SKA-1946 forward Ivan Demidov is the sole representative from the Western Conference this season.
All four can look to the example of Andrei Altybarmakyan. The Sochi forward was among the first juniors to get a call-up to the KHL All-Star Game. This season, he becomes the first man to get a place in the big event as an adult player, having previously earned a spot for his exploits as a junior.
