Dorozhko denies Severstal, Amur too strong for Torpedo

Torpedo’s first pre-season outing ended in defeat, while Vityaz blanked Severstal.

Amur Khabarovsk 3 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 1 (0-1, 2-0, 0-0, 1-0)

This was two games for the price of one. The teams played a pair of 2x20 minute games, naming two separate three-line rosters for each. In the first game, Amur took a 2-1 verdict, then followed up with a 1-0 scoreline in the second.

In the first game, Torpedo took a look at several players from its Kharlamov Cup-winning junior team, Chaika, including defenseman Alexander Pelevin and playoff MVP Artyom Misnikov. Amur also used some juniors, with Sergei Ryzhikov and Yelisei Minayev forming the third defensive pair.

Torpedo opened the scoring with a power play tally midway through the first period. Kirill Maximov fired in a shot from the blue line and the shot ricocheted off Kirill Voronin’s leg and into the net. Amur spent much of the first period on the PK, ensuring plenty of work for goalie Janis Kalnins.

The PK managed even more in the second period, with Evgeny Grachyov getting a breakaway shorthanded goal to tie the game in the 24^th minute. Then, given a power play chance, the Tigers took the lead on a goal from Alex Broadhurst.

Periods three and four brought wholesale changes. Amur deployed Jan Drozg, Pyotr Khokhryakov and Stanislav Bocharov on a top line that is likely to continue into the start of the season. Torpedo responded with Vladislav Firstov, Maxim Letunov and Denis Yan. However, it was goalies Dmitry Lozebnikov and Alexei Melnichuk who dominated a goalless third period. Indeed, it wasn’t until late in the fourth period that we saw another goal, with Vyacheslav Gretsky on target for Amur.

Vityaz Moscow Region 2 Severstal Cherepovets 0 (2-0, 0-0, 0-0)

Goalie Maxim Dorozhko was the key man as Vityaz took a 2-0 win over Severstal. He dealt with some intense pressure in the latter stages of the game and successfully defended the lead his team built in the first 10 minutes.

Vityaz opened the scoring in the first minute when Ivan Yezhov thumped home a Yaroslav Busygin feed. In response, Severstal stepped up the pace and created several good chances but could not beat Dorozhko. At the other end, Jeremy Roy showed how it should be done when he doubled the lead with a well-worked counterattack.

After that, Dorozhko’s day got busier and busier. However, the Steelman could not turn opportunities into goals. Even a few power play chances came to naught while, at the other end, Dmitry Shugayev was often a virtual spectator in the Severstal net.

In the final stages, Shugayev returned to the bench in favor of a sixth skater, but this too made little difference. Vityaz diligently kept play to the outside and denied Severstal any hint of a way back into the game.