Magnitka closes on Minsk Cup

Two wins in two days put Metallurg clear in Belarus. Andrei Razin’s team can claim the first trophy of the summer with at least a point against Admiral on Sunday.

Dinamo Minsk 1 Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 (0-2, 0-1, 1-0)

Metallurg reeled off a second successive victory to move to the top of the Fonbet Minsk Cup standings, while defeat leaves host club Dinamo stuck at the foot of the table.

Both teams introduced more big names for Friday’s match-up, with KHL record scorer Vadim Shipachyov making his first appearance of the summer for Dinamo. Metallurg, meanwhile, handed a debut to Vladimir Tkachyov following his arrival from Avangard.

And it was Tkachyov’s line with Roman Kantserov and Dmitry Silantyev that gave Magnitka the edge midway through the first period. Silantyev scored twice, with Tkachyov assisting on the second with a terrific backhand pass to the slot that required a simple redirect from his colleague.

Dinamo captain Andrei Stas suggested that his team was still finding its game, telling reporters that there was no crisis and insisting that it was just a matter of getting the team’s first goal. However, it was Metallurg that scored the only marker of the middle frame, Nikita Korotkov scoring his first since arriving from Sibir.

Stas finally saw that longed-for goal in the third period. A power play seven minutes before the hooter encouraged Dmitry Kvartalnov to play six-on-four and his gamble paid off. Xavier Ouellet’s cross-ice pass set up a one-timer for Shipachyov and Stas finished it off from the slot. Later, there was another six-on-four session for Dinamo, but Metallurg had the answers that time and preserved a 3-1 lead until the end.

Tomorrow is a rest day in Minsk, with Metallurg facing Admiral on Sunday in a winner-takes-all clash for the cup.