Admiral edges past Belarusian champion

Admiral’s second try-out game saw Leonids Tambijevs’ hopefuls on target for the first time this summer. After a 0-3 loss to Dynamo St. Petersburg yesterday, the Sailors faced Belarusian team Metallurg Zhlobin on Tuesday and played out an exciting 4-4 tie before taking a shoot-out verdict.

Admiral Vladivostok 5 Metallurg Zhlobin 4 SO (1-2, 2-1, 1-1, 0-0, 1-0)

The opening goal came from Vladimir Mikhasyonok, a 26-year-old forward on a two-way contract with the Sailors. His much-travelled career has seen him play in Kazakhstan, China and the Czech Republic, as well as making 36 KHL appearances, mostly for Amur. After spending the past two seasons in the VHL, including a spell wearing the ‘A’ for Dynamo St. Petersburg last term, he’s eager to take a step up with his latest club.

However, Metallurg celebrated a third successive Belarusian championship last season and was in no mood to roll over for an experimental KHL line-up. A couple of quick goals midway through the first period put Zhlobin ahead and that lead endured to the first intermission.

After the break, Admiral got back on level terms. Goals from Semyon Pankratov and Igor Ugolnikov sandwiched another effort that beat Nikita Bogdanov in the Sailors’ net to ensure that the game was level through 40 minutes. However, it took a second goal from Mikhasyonok, this time with a minute left on the clock, to save Admiral from a second loss in regulation time.

Overtime could not produce a winner, but Admiral claimed the result in the shoot-out with Pankratov potting the decisive goal.