Like father, like son. January 19 round-up

When dad holds the record for shut-outs in the KHL, it’s important to make a good start to your own goaltending career. Maxim Mayorov, son of Vasily Koshechkin, did just that when he backstopped Lokomotiv to a 3-0 win at Barys in his debut. CSKA beat Sibir in a shoot-out, despite two goals from Brendan Leipsic for the home team. Avtomobilist collected a sixth successive victory with a 2-1 success at Sochi.

CSKA rallies to sink Sibir

Sibir Novosibirsk 3 CSKA Moscow 4 SO (1-0, 1-1, 1-2, 0-0, 0-1)

CSKA recovered a two-goal deficit to edge a shoot-out verdict over Sibir. For the home team, Brendan Leipsic scored twice but could not lead his team to victory.

Leipsic found himself up against Ilya Vorobyov, the coach for whom he produced his most productive KHL hockey at Metallurg in 2022. After unconvincing spells with SKA and Avtomobilist, he came to Sibir last month with his new club hoping he could recover that run of form.

Today he started by scoring twice on his old coach’s current club, moving to nine points in eight games for Sibir. Both of those markers were assisted by Tayor Beck, who extended his personal hot streak to five games.

However, the visitor hit back. Ruslan Iskhakov pulled a goal back in the second period, then Ivan Drozdov and Maxim Sorkin scored in the third to put the Muscovites up 3-2. Sibir responded to tie the game in the 55th minute through Pavel Gogolev and the home team was on its way to overtime for the fifth game in a row.

Leipsic almost completed a game-winning hat-trick in the extras, and in the final moments Denis Guryanov missed a similar chance for CSKA. In the shoot-out, the home team replaced goalie Anton Krasotkin with Denis Kostin after the visitor converted its first two attempts. However, Sibir could not recover and CSKA took the win.

Mayorov enjoys shut-out on debut

Barys Astana 0 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 (0-0, 0-3, 0-0)

Maxim Mayorov, the 20-year-old son of legendary KHL goalie Vasily Koshechkin, made his debut for Lokomotiv today – and immediately produced a shut-out in a 3-0 victory over Barys. Mayorov’s father holds the record for KHL shut-outs – 75 – but the youngster joins an elite band of netminders who began their careers in the league by blanking the opposition.

Mayorov got his chance following Daniil Isayev’s injury. With Loko’s first choice goalie out for about a month, Igor Nikitin is forced to rely on the club’s depth between the piping. So far, with 20 saves in his first game, Mayorov looks to be ready for the job.

Isayev’s absence has not greatly hampered Lokomotiv so far. The league leader is undefeated in five games so far in 2025 and had little difficulty overcoming a struggling Barys team. The visitor had the better of a goalless first period and took the lead early in the second period when Alexei Bereglazov’s point shot was deflected home by Alexander Radulov.

A Lokomotiv power play brought a second goal, and it closely resembled the first. This time, Byron Froese got the vital touch on a Rushan Rafikov shot in the 26th minute. A third goal arrived late in the frame, Radulov again, power play again. That put the game beyond Barys, while Mayorov kept his net intact to the end to begin his career in impressive fashion.

Da Costa gives Avto the edge

HC Sochi 1 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 2 (0-1, 1-1, 0-0)

After a 3-1 win at Dynamo, Sochi was unable to build. Sunday’s game at home to Avtomobilist saw the visitor collect a sixth successive victory. That wins lifts the Motormen into the top four in the East while the Leopards remain rooted to the foot of the Western Conference.

Despite the disparity in the teams’ seasons, this game turned out to be closer than the respective league positions might suggest. The balance of play was even in the first period; both teams had seven shots on goal, and spent about three-and-a-half minutes on offense. However, Danil Romantsev’s 13th-minute tally sent Avto to the intermission with a 1-0 lead.

At the start of the second period, Sochi wiped that out thanks to Sergei Popov’s 22nd-minute strike. After that, Avtomobilist began to enjoy more of the play and Stephane da Costa restored the lead midway through the session. The French center moves to 10 goals for the season and extended his productive run to four games.

In the third, Sochi stepped up its attacking efforts, hoping to find a way back into the game. But the visitor defended strongly, denying the Leopards shooting chances and closing out the win.