Sochi springs surprise at SKA. January 16 round-up

There was only one game in the KHL on Friday, and it produced a shock result as Sochi won 2-1 at SKA St. Petersburg.

Resolute Leopards rebound after heavy loss

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

The Leopards turned the formbook upside down to claim a victory on the road at SKA. Sochi’s last visit here in October ended in a crushing 1-8 loss. More recently, Dmitry Mikhailov’s team had stumbled into a three-game skid, dropping behind in the race for a play-off spot.

By contrast, SKA’s form in 2026 had been impressive with four wins from five games after a 4-8 reverse at Sochi late last year.

In the first period it looked as if SKA was surprised by how competitive the visitor was today. This was far from the team that lost 0-9 in Magnitogorsk two days earlier. Sochi defended strongly and did enough going forward to keep the home defense occupied. And, midway through the session it was a swift transition that brought the opening goal. Andrei Loktionov dithered on the blue line and Noel Hoefenmayer robbed him of possession and sprinted down the left. Sergei Ivanov stopped the initial shot but could do nothing to deny the Canadian on the rebound.

The opening frame continued with the teams evenly matched. But after the intermission SKA raised its game and threatened to take control. In the 26th minute Sochi had a big reprieve when Pavel Khomchenko beat away Rocco Grimaldi’s redirect. Then Brendan Leipsic returned the puck to the American who had the goal at his mercy but hit the crossbar.

And as the session went on, the home team got stronger, regularly testing Khomchenko. However, the next goal came at the other end right on the buzzer. Nikolai Polyakov, once a SKA player, collected a pass on the left-hand boards and fizzed a shot over Ivanov’s glove from a tight angle to double the visitor’s lead.

The third period saw SKA continue to push for goals. Khomchenko made a fantastic save right away, denying Joseph Blandisi from close range. Then Sochi had to kill back-to-back penalties, pouring a huge amount of energy into holding off the home PP. In the 49th minute, Marat Khairullin made the long-awaited breakthrough, finishing off a well-worked move to solve Khomchenko at last.

With 10 minutes to find another goal, few would have bet against SKA forcing the issue. But Sochi’s defense was obdurate. There was some relief for the visitor when Andrei Pedan was assessed an interference minor in the 52nd minor, but the play was largely one-way traffic. The home team peppered Khomchenko with 17 shots in the final stanza, but could not get the tying goal it so desperately sought.