Traktor wins Blinov opener

The 30th edition of the Blinov Cup got underway in Omsk on Tuesday, but Avangard had little to celebrate after a loss to Traktor. In warm-up play, SKA edged a 3-2 OT verdict at Sochi, while Torpedo downed Spartak by the same scoreline in regulation.

Blinov Cup

Avangard Omsk 2 Traktor Chelyabinsk 5 (1-1, 0-2, 1-2)

The opening game of the 30th anniversary edition of Blinov Cup did not so well for the host club. Avangard was hoping to make a winning start to its home tournament but instead fell to 2-5 loss against Traktor.

Part of the Hawks’ problems were connected with injuries: Vladimir Tkachyov and Reid Boucher face extended absences and potential replacement Alexei Makeyev has barely had time to unpack his suitcase after coming to Omsk. By contrast, Traktor was close to full strength: Zach Fucale was in goal, Dylan Sikura joined the top line and Alexander Kadeikin centered the third line.

Nonetheless, there were promising signs for Avangard early on. After one unsuccessful power play, the home team got ahead midway through the first period when Stanislav Galiyev converted a too many men penalty. However, when the Hawks coughed up possession on their own blue line, Traktor tied it up through Sikura.

The visitor carried that momentum into the middle frame. Ilya Karpukhin put Traktor ahead early in the session, then Sikura got his second of the game on a power play towards the end of the period, opening a 3-1 lead.

Avangard needed a fast start in the third, but instead fell further behind when Kadeikin’ feed from behind the net presented Danil Yurtaikin with number four. Makeyev at least marked his Omsk debut with a goal but it was too late to change the outcome. Instead, Steve Kempfer added to an earlier assist with an empty net goal to seal a good win for Traktor.

Warm-up games

HC Sochi 2 SKA St. Petersburg 3 OT (1-1, 0-0, 1-1, 0-1)

Sochi’s Olympic ski resort at Krasnaya Polyana played host to this summer hockey challenge. For both teams it was the first game of the pre-season, and there was little to choose between them through 60 minutes.

The first period saw Ivan Vydrenkov put SKA in front only for Nikolai Chebykin to quickly tie it up. The second stanza was goalless and in the third the teams again traded goals. Sochi got up thanks to Suvorov and hit the piping a couple of times before SKA’s Arseny Gritsyuk tied the game. In OT, former Leopard Borna Rendulic got the winner for SKA.

Spartak Moscow 2 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 3 (0-2, 1-1, 1-0)

It might be summer, back that didn’t stop these teams serving up a competitive battle in Moscow. From the third minute the penalties kept coming and at times the battle resembled a playoff game more than a warm-up scrimmage.

As well as aggression, we also saw goals. Torpedo opened a 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to Vasily Atanasov and Sergei Goncharuk, the latter on the power play.

Maxim Letunov extended the lead early in the second but after that penalty trouble undermined Torpedo. Shane Prince punished one penalty and it took some last-ditch defense to kill two more during the middle frame.

Spartak got another one back in the final frame, but Alexander Pashin’s last-minute tally was too little, too late on this occasion.