KHL 3x3: Ufa tops group, Minsk and Traktor join Ak Bars in final four

We’re at the semi-final stage in the KHL 3x3 Championship, and Saturday will decide the medallists at this year’s inaugural tournament. Salavat Yulaev, Ak Bars, Dinamo Minsk and Traktor will contest the semi-finals and medal games tomorrow in Moscow.

The group stage of the Superfinal produced its surprises. Ak Bars, so dominant in the “regular season”, found itself pushed into second place by Salavat Yulaev. The Green Derby rivalry is clearly as vibrant in 3x3 as in the KHL.

Meanwhile, Metallurg, winner of its regular season division and second only to Ak Bars in the overall standings, crashed out in the preliminaries in Moscow. Evgeny Timkin’s men managed just two wins from five games to finish fifth out of six teams. After Magnitka had the leading individual scorers in the regular season, it struggled for goals here with just 15 in five games. However, table-topping Salavat Yulaev also scored 15 in five – but backed it up with a superb defensive effort to allow just 12 goals in the group phase.

That Green Derby match-up was the big one for the final day of the Superfinal group. And there was prestige to play for, with the winner destined for top spot and – at least theoretically – the easiest semi-final opponent on Saturday.

After two periods, Ak Bars seemed to be in control with a 4-1 lead. But Ufa hit back to tie it in the third before winning the shoot-out. Ildus Suleimanov’s hat-trick was crucial, and he and Alexander Zharkovsky were on target in that shoot-out.

“I can’t single out anyone, everyone on this team brings something to the party,” Suleimanov said. “We all play for each other and that’s how we were able to turn this game around. We could hear our fans, and that drove us forward.”

Dinamo Minsk secured its semi-final spot after Vitaly Pinchuk’s five-point game underpinned a thrilling 8-6 win over already eliminated Avangard.

“The decisive moment came when we were down 1-4 and scored a penalty shot,” Pinchuk said. “That kickstarted our comeback. We got more aggressive going to the net. At the start we were a bit sleepy, but after they scored four on us we woke up and started to get back into it.”

Then came the battle for the last remaining place – and it was another local rivalry. The winner of the Traktor vs Metallurg game would progress to Saturday’s final showdown. Metallurg struck first through the prolific Pavel Varfolomeyev in the second minute, but Traktor soon tied it up. It remained 1-1 through the first intermission before the middle stanza saw Chelyabinsk get on top. Four unanswered goals all-but secured a semi-final berth, but Magnitka kept the fight going until the very end. Down 1-5, Metallurg got back to 4-5, but Grigory Nesvetayev and Kirill Kadyshev scored two late goals just 30 seconds apart to seal the deal. Nesvetayev finished with a hat-trick to lead Traktor in the medal rounds.

“We know that it was win or bust,” said Kadyshev. “That was added motivation for the derby. There were no nerves, I think we approached it the right way and deserved the win. Going forward, we’re only thinking about winning. We all want to be the first KHL 3x3 champions.”

The inaugural KHL 3x3 Championship – the world’s first fully-fledged, season-long 3x3 pro hockey tournament – concludes on Saturday at the CSKA Arena in Moscow. Salavat Yulaev faces Traktor in the first semi-final, followed by Ak Bars vs Dinamo Minsk. The loser of that game will face a quick turnaround to contest bronze medal game before the grand final gets underway at 1515 local time (1315 CET).