Amur back in top eight, Severstal ends skid. December 5 round-up
Amur won its Far East derby clash at Admiral thanks to Evgeny Alikin’s club record-breaking 16th shut-out. And there was a road win for Monday’s other game, with Severstal coming from 1-3 down to beat Dinamo Minsk.
Tigers pounce on derby win
Admiral Vladivostok 0 Amur Khabarovsk 2 (0-0, 0-1, 0-1)
The first Far East derby of the season went to Amur, with victory lifting the Tigers back into the top eight in the Eastern Conference. It was also a big day for goalie Evgeny Alikin. His 16th shut-out for the club overtook Juha Metsola’s record.
Although this rivalry clash is a high-profile engagement for both teams, the game started with the handbrake on. Neither side was willing to play at full thrust and a disciplined display meant that the first penalty was not called until seconds before the hooter.
That opening frame finished goalless, and more or less equal on most counts. In the second period, though, the game opened up a little. There were more scoring chances at last, but Alikin and his counterpart Nikita Serebryakov dealt with everything that came their way. Gradually, the visitor managed to get more from its offense and late in the middle frame Amur took the lead. A quick counterattack saw Ivan Nikolishin calmly shoot his team in front.
Admiral’s strong home form has been a feature of its rise up the table this season. In the third period, Leonids Tambijevs sent out his players with a view to turning the game around and preserving that impressive record at the Fetisov Arena. Despite plenty of endeavor and enterprise, there was no way past Alikin. The next goal came on a home power play, but it went against the Sailors. Tambijevs gambled, withdrawing Serebryakov to play six-on-four in the hope of forcing a tying goal. Instead, Sergei Lapin got possession and shot into the empty net. The 2-0 scoreline sealed a third straight win for Amur.
Belarusian double act defeats Dinamo Minsk
Dinamo Minsk 3 Severstal Cherepovets 4 (1-1, 2-2, 0-1)
Severstal snapped a four-game skid in thrilling fashion. The Steelmen rallied from 1-3 to win in Minsk, picking up two points that closes the gap on the top eight to three. The 4-3 verdict also made it eight consecutive one-goal games for Andrei Razin’s team: the last time Severstal was involved in a bigger margin was on Nov. 16, when it lost 2-4 at Spartak.
The visitor made a good start here, opening the scoring after two minutes through Ivan Podshivalov. The 20-year-old potted his first KHL goal in only his sixth appearance. Once again, perhaps, the Severstal academy is producing the goods.
Dinamo, however, is in good form itself. Three wins in its last four games were punctuated by a shoot-out loss to Spartak as Craig Woodcroft’s team looks to tighten its grip on a playoff spot. The Belarusians responded to that early setback and tied the game midway through the first period thanks to Ryan Spooner. Then, at the start of the second, further tallies from Vladimir Alistrov and Shawn Lalonde opened a solid lead for the home team. For Lalonde, that was his first goal of the season – and it came against the Severstal team he represented two years ago.
However, the Canadian defenseman was not the only player who would haunt his former colleagues. In the closing moments of the middle frame, Severstal scored twice – and both goals were made in Belarus. Alexander Suvorov, 20, made it 2-3. He was at Dinamo last season, but found his ice time limited and scored 6 (3+3) in 36 appearances for the Bison. At Severstal, he’s playing about 16 minutes each night and this was his 11th goal of the season. Then came Gomel native Pavel Denisov, who had four seasons in Dinamo’s system without establishing himself in the first team. Now the 21-year-old is a regular for Severstal and got his second of the season to tie the game.
In the third period, the visitor took the verdict thanks to a goal from Kirill Pilipenko with six minutes left. That secured Severstal’s second victory in its three games against Dinamo so far this season.
