A day of comebacks
There was action in four summer tournaments, and several comebacks to enjoy. Lada rallied from 0-3 to beat Metallurg at the Chelyabinsk Governor’s Cup, before Traktor came from 1-3 to defeat Ak Bars in a shoot-out at the same event. In Omsk, Avangard trailed 0-2 against Salavat Yulaev but ended a 3-2 winner. The opening day of the Mayor of Moscow Cup brought wins for Spartak and CSKA, while Severstal maintained its perfect start at the Puchkov Tournament by downing Avtomobilist.
Blinov Cup
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 (2-2, 2-0, 0-0)
After Barys secured first place at the Blinov Cup yesterday, Lokomotiv wrapped up its campaign in second following a victory over Neftekhimik. The Railwaymen won three games from four, but crucially went down 2-1 to the Kazakhs. Neftekhimik, meanwhile, is still looking for a victory in Omsk but has one more chance against Barys tomorrow.
Neftekhimik made the brighter start today and opened the scoring through Evgeny Mityakin in the third minute. That was the first time his team had scored first in this tournament, but it wasn’t enough to break the losing pattern. Loko responded with goals from Rushan Rafikov and Alexei Kozhevnikov and seemed set to take a lead into the intermission. However, Nail Yakupov produced a magnificent solo effort, undressing Martin Gernat on his way to tying the scores.
That was as close as the Wolves would come to taking anything from the game. Early in the second, another fine piece of individual skill as youngster Yaroslav Likhachyov successfully scored a “Michigan” over Emil Garipov’s shoulder. As Neftekhimik ran into further penalty trouble, Maxim Shalunov despatched a trademark wrister to make it 4-2 and complete the scoring in the game.
Avangard Omsk 3 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 2 (0-1, 3-1, 0-0)
The host club finished its tournament with a comeback win over Salavat Yulaev to finish third in the overall standings. While Mikhail Kravets enjoyed his team’s character in coming from 0-2, his opposite number Viktor Kozlov called on more of his players to step up and lead the team.
Kozlov exempted Alexander Chmelevski from any criticism, and understandably so. The 24-year-old American scored five goals in three games here and his double gave Ufa an early lead in this one. Chmelevski opened the scoring inside two minutes, and his power play marker early in the middle frame doubled that advantage.
After that, though, Avangard fought back. Mikhail Naumenkov’s slashing penalty in the 26th minute was the first of four in a row for Salavat Yulaev in the second period. Once the dust had settled and the teams were back in the locker rooms, the Hawks had a 3-2 lead. Kirill Panyukov took advantage of Naumenkov’s foul then, 10 minutes later, Vladimir Tkachyov got a second power play goal as too much time on the PK drained Ufa’s energy. With 81 seconds left before the break, 21-year-old forward Nikita Kholodilin made it 3-2. Kholodilin has seen limited KHL action to date but will hope to get more of a chance in the coming season.
His goal today proved to be the game winner. Salavat Yulaev tried to force the pace in the third period but, despite having more of the game, could not find a third goal to deny Avangard a winning conclusion to its tournament.
Chelyabinsk Governor’s Cup
Lada Togliatti 5 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4 OT (0-3, 2-1, 2-0, 1-0)
Both these teams suffered opening day defeats in Chelyabinsk. However, both put in battling performances and were eager to bounce back on day two. For a time, it seemed that Magnitka was better placed for success, but Lada produced a stirring fightback to win this one in OT.
It all started so well for Metallurg. The experienced line of Nikita Korostelyov, Arkhip Nekolenko and Semyon Koshelev dominated the first period. First, they combined for young defenseman Danil Gololobov to open the scoring. Then Koshelev doubled the lead when he converted a rebound from close range. Korostelyov had assists on the first two, then scored himself to open a 3-0 lead before the intermission.
At the start of the second period, Lada got a lift. Sergei Shumakov pulled a goal back, sending a warning that this game was not over. However, when Danila Yurov made it 4-1 midway through the session, it would have taken a brave man to bet against Metallurg. Even after Nikita Popugayev pulled a goal back from a penalty shot, Magnitka had a 4-2 lead and, moreover, was up 37-7 on the shot count.
Lada did not exactly overwhelm the opposition net with attempts in the third period either, but managed to find the goals it needed to tie the game. Ivan Romanov pulled one back early in the session on the power play, then Vladislav Chervonenko tied it up midway through the frame.
Neither team could win it in regulation but after two minutes of the extras, Popugayev potted his second of the day to secure an unlikely victory for Lada. Metallurg suffered a second defeat, both in overtime.
Traktor Chelyabinsk 4 Ak Bars Kazan 3 SO (0-0, 1-1, 2-2, 0-0, 1-0)
Fans in Chelyabinsk got their money’s worth at today’s tournament. After a high-scoring overtime battle in game one, the second match-up went all the way to a shoot-out. Moreover, most in attendance went home happy with a win for host club Traktor, edging past Ak Bars after a 3-3 tie.
Like the opening game of the day, this one saw a fightback from the eventual winner. After a goalless first period, the teams traded goals in the second period. Vadim Shipachyov’s power play goal put Ak Bars in front, but it wasn’t long before Mikhail Kotlyarevsky tied it up for Traktor.
In the third, Ak Bars started fast and jumped to a 3-1 lead. Once again, the visitor’s big-name forwards made an impact. Alexander Radulov scored 15 seconds into the frame, then Dmitrij Jaskin made it 3-1 with a PP tally on 46 minutes.
However, Traktor found another quick response. Within a couple of minutes, Yegor Popov pulled one back. Then another home power play saw Vitaly Kravtsov make it 3-3 in the 54th. Neither team could score in overtime, and the first 10 shoot-out attempts all failed. However, at the start of sudden death, Anton Burdasov beat Amir Miftakhov and Zach Fucale stopped Radulov to secure a win on his Traktor debut.
Mayor of Moscow Cup
Vityaz Moscow Region 2 Spartak Moscow 3 (1-2, 0-0, 1-1)
Vityaz suffered a heavy loss against Kunlun Red Star last time out and decided against any further experiments at the start of its Mayor of Moscow Cup campaign. However, there was still room for young players, with Stanislav Yarovoy lining up on the first line alongside Igor Rudenkov and summer signing Derek Barach.
Spartak seems to have decided on its starting five for the season, with Alexander Khokhlachyov, Alexander Burmistrov and Shane Prince forming the first attacking line, backed up by D-men Michal Cajkovsky and Yegor Zaitsev.
It took just 64 seconds to produce the first goal of the tournament as Vladislav Kara put Vityaz in front. Spartak responded fast when an impression three-man move ended with Andrei Loktionov shooting home Nikolai Goldobin’s feed. It wasn’t long before Vityaz hit penalty trouble and a 5-on-3 advantage helped Spartak get ahead on a Burmistrov goal.
After such a lively start, it was a surprise that we did not see another goal until the 53rd minute. It came on a Vityaz power play, but went to Spartak after Ansel Galimov grabbed a shorthanded effort. That won the game; Alexander Yaremchuk grabbed a last-gasp consolation, but too late for Vityaz to save the game.
CSKA Moscow 3 Dynamo Moscow 2 (1-1, 1-1, 1-0)
Game two at the Mayor’s Cup saw a renewal of one of the KHL’s biggest rivalries. CSKA, back-to-back Gagarin Cup winner, took on a Dynamo team as it began its defense of this pre-season trophy.
The Blue-and-Whites deployed a similar line-up to the one that faced Vityaz in a recent warm-up game. Ilya Konovalov started in goal, while Andrei Pribylsky lost his place on the roster. For CSKA, Vladislav Kamenev was joined by Konstantin Okulov and Sergei Plotnikov on the first line – and he responded with two goals to help give his team the win.
It didn’t take long to open the scoring, with Dynamo going in front in the third minute. Ilya Kablukov’s pressing gave CSKA problems, and his pass was perfectly weighted for Vladislav Mikhailov to score at the far post. Sergei Fedorov’s team looked threatening on the power play, but tied the scores with the game back at equal strength: Okulov’s vision set up Kamenev for a one-timer beyond Konovalov.
In the middle frame, CSKA began on the front foot. For the opening four-and-a-half minutes it was one-way traffic, culminating in Kamenev’s second of the evening, fired in from the slot. But a power play saw Dynamo tie it up once again thanks to Daniil Pylenkov’s shot and a kind bounce in front of understudy goalie Dmitry Gamzin.
The winner came early in the third. Another power play saw CSKA pile on the pressure and Mikhail Grigorenko stuffed home a rebound to make it 3-2. This time, the lead endured. Dynamo battled hard in search of a game-saving goal, but CSKA’s game management was too good.
Puchkov Tournament
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 Severstal Cherepovets 5 (1-1, 1-2, 0-2)
Both teams had 100% records coming into this game. But while Severstal’s was a welcome return of back-to-back wins, Avto was still seeking its first victory in Petersburg. And both records extended to three games after the Steelmen recorded another win. Now Andrei Kozyrev’s team can win the cup if it can defeat SKA in its final game.
Avtomobilist made a good start this time. Alexei Byvaltsev opened the scoring after 33 seconds and for much of the first period that lead endured. However, the balance of play was fairly even throughout the session, and Alexander Zhabreyev tied it up a couple of minutes before the break.
In the second, Severstal took control. Ruslan Abrosimov and Adam Liska opened a 3-1 lead, and although Anatoly Golyshev got one back for Avto, it was not destined to be the start of a revival.
Instead, the Motormen allowed two more in the final frame. Ilya Ivanov restored the two-goal cushion, then Abrosimov got his second of the game to wrap up another win. Not only is Severstal unbeaten so far in this tournament, its three games to date have brought an aggregate score of 13-4. Avtomobilist finishes its campaign tomorrow against a Sochi team also seeking its first win. Severstal wraps it up on Saturday evening against SKA in the gold medal decider.
