KHL 3x3 round 14: Flawless Steelmen
Metallurg continued its red-hot form in the latest round of the KHL 3x3 championship. Magnitka set team and individual records in a high-scoring weekend, celebrating victory in all seven games.
Story of the Round
The 14th round was pretty eventful. For starters, it was the highest scoring of the season so far: the teams banged in 113 goals! That set a new record with something to spare: the previous best, in round two, was 107. Moreover, Metallurg became the first team to sweep all six “regular” games before winning the Supergame. As winter turned into spring, Magnitka hit a rich vein of form but then the schedule gave a two-week break. There was a danger that the team would lose some sharpness during that pause, but nothing of the sort happened. Metallurg made good use of its rest and returned to action stronger than ever.
Traktor was the first to suffer the revitalized Steelmen, going down 3-9 to its Ural rival in the opening game of the round. Not that every game was a festival of attacking hockey. There were times when Evgeny Timkin’s team was forced to focus on defense, but still came up with the win. Metallurg enjoyed a perfect weekend, and the cherry on top was a landmark goal from leading scorer Pavel Varfolomeyev. That brings us on to ...
Hero of the Round
Pavel Varfolomeyev (Metallurg)
Magnitka’s #66 was surprised to hear that he’d been chosen as the player of the round. His team-mates all made big contributions throughout the weekend and there were genuine claims for Denis Polukarov, Andrei Oleinikov or Dmitry Marchenkov to get the individual prize. As for Varfolomeyev, he’s had more productive rounds even though a return of 10 (8+2) points is nothing to sniff at. But Pavel’s real trump card was a history-making milestone: he became the first player to score 50 goals in KHL 3x3 championship play.
Game of the Round
Dinamo Minsk 7 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 8
Metallurg wasn’t the only team generating excitement. Minsk and Ufa produced a barn-burner of a game which swung one way and the other. At the first intermission, Salavat was up 4-1. In traditional hockey, that might be an almost insurmountable advantage, but not in 3x3. Dinamo hit back with four goals in the middle frame to lead 5-4 at the second intermission. The final stanza was a two-way battle. Salavat tied it up, got in front twice, but the Belarusians twice fought back to tie. The final word went to Ufa, with Ilya Chmelevski potting the game-winner.
Regular followers of the KHL 3x3 might not be surprised to see a high-scoring clash between these two: in round two, Salavat had a memorable 9-7 win over Dinamo.
Goal of the Round
For full on individual skills, it’s hard to beat Maxim Slysh’s effort for Dinamo against Salavat Yulaev. After sending the defenseman for a hot dog, his feint deceived the goalie before some slick hands steered the puck into the gap he created. Bravo!
Photo of the Round
Don’t let anyone tell you that 3x3 hockey isn’t a full-blooded contest. As this photo shows, the players carry the same scars into battle. Here’s Dinamo Minsk captain Maxim Slysh sporting an impressive black eye. There was nothing sinister about the injury, which he suffered in practice. And Maxim himself joked that this was how they wanted him to improve his aim! Certainly, he showed an eye for goal this weekend, potted two hat-tricks and nine goals in total.
