Lokomotiv impresses in Omsk, Torpedo wins three in three days
Sunday’s big game saw the start of the Blinov Cup, with Lokomotiv thumping tournament host Avangard 5-1. Torpedo played VHL opposition for the third day running, and edged a shoot-out verdict over Metallurg Novokuznetsk.
Blinov Cup
Avangard Omsk 1 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 5 (0-3, 1-1, 0-1)
The Blinov Cup returned to Omsk after a five-year break. However, the 29th edition of this popular pre-season tournament did not begin well for the home team.
Avangard started the schedule against Lokomotiv, and found itself two goals down inside seven minutes. Both tallies came from the blue line, with Alexander Yelesin opening the scoring on 3:50 before Martin Gernat added a power play goal. The Hawks had a chance to get back into contention as Lokomotiv ran into penalty trouble midway through the opening frame, but the Railwaymen faced down that challenge and added a third goal through Daniil Tesanov. The 22-year-old’s lively first stanza also include an assist on the opener, plus one of those penalties.
There was more of the same at the start of the second when Sergei Andronov extended Lokomotiv’s lead to 4-0. Perhaps surprisingly, Omsk head coach Mikhail Kravets opted not to relieve starting goalie Vasily Demchenko despite his team’s unimpressive start. In fairness, Demchenko proved reliable in the latter stages of the game, but by then the damage was done.
The home fans finally had something to cheer in the 34th minute when Ivan Igumnov beat his former Dynamo team-mate Ivan Bocharov to make it 1-4. An Avangard power play immediately afterwards might have been the springboard for a genuine fightback, but Loko once again kept the door closed. In the third, too, Yaroslavl’s penalty kill was strong, neutralizing a prolonged 3-on-5 passage and killing another minor in the closing minutes. Maxim Beryozkin’s empty netter sealed a satisfying start for the visitor.
The Blinov Cup continues tomorrow with Lokomotiv facing Barys before Avangard takes on Neftekhimik. The fifth team at the tournament, Salavat Yulaev, plays its first game on Tuesday against Neftekhimik.
Warm-up game
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 Metallurg Novokuznetsk 2 SO (1-1, 0-1, 1-0, 0-0, 1-0)
Torpedo was one of the last teams to start its pre-season games, but since then it’s made up for lost time. This was the third outing in three days, with head coach Igor Larionov using today’s meeting with VHL opposition to unveil something close to the team likely to face Lokomotiv in the season opener.
Thus we saw Nikolai Kovalenko, Alexei Kruchinin and Sergei Goncharuk on the top line, with Vladislav Firstov, Maxim Letunov and Denis Yan on the second. There was still room for 17-year-old D-man Anton Silayev on the team, as well as attacking prospect Nikita Artamonov. Slovak goalie Adam Huska was named back-up to Ivan Kulbakov.
Silayev contributed to a fast start, getting an assist as Yan opened the scoring after just 25 seconds. Metallurg didn’t need long to respond, and Yury Platonov converted a power play to tie the game. In its exploits against second tier opponents, Torpedo has not always looked comfortable this week, and that uncertainty continued today. Metallurg took the lead midway through the second period on an Oleg Lomako goal and soon afterwards the visitor killed a 3-on-5 penalty to preserve that advantage.
Early in the third, Torpedo’s top line combined to level the game. Kovalenko was the scorer, with assists for both Kruchinin and Goncharuk. However, it took a shoot-out to decide the outcome, with youngster Vasily Atanasov getting the winner.
Sunday’s other planned warm-up game between Kunlun Red Star and Amur was cancelled.
