Magnitka starts with win

Day two of the Minsk Cup saw just one game, with Metallurg defeating Shanghai Dragons to secure a successful start to the competition. In Friday’s warm-up games, Dynamo Moscow won 5-2 at Torpedo and the Tatarstan derby went to Neftekhimik, 2-1 winners over Ak Bars.

Minsk Cup

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 Shanghai Dragons 2 OT (0-0, 1-1, 1-1, 1-0)

Metallurg began its summer action with an overtime win against the Dragons, a result that means Shanghai will finish third in its group and contest a fifth-place playoff on Sunday. Magnitka takes on Dinamo Minsk tomorrow for the right to play in the title decider.

After scoring twice in Thursday’s 5-7 loss to the host club, Dmitrij Jaskin was given the day off, as was goalie Pavel Khomchenko. They were replaced by David Chen and Vyacheslav Buteyets respectively.

Buteyets had a busy start, stopping 15 shots in a goalless first period. However, he was beaten at the start of the second when Danila Palivko’s long-range effort found a way through his defenses. A similar play brought a tying goal in the 28th minute when Nick Cicek converted a power play following Palivko’s foul.

Back at equal strength, Metallurg put together some promising attacks but was beaten by Givani Smith on the counter. Andrei Razin challenged the play, and the review ruled the goal out for offside.

A similar raid involving Smith and Semyon Koshelev at the start of the third earned Shanghai another penalty. Metallurg survived, but gave up a goal midway through the session when Brett Murray converted the Dragons’ next PP. Mitch Love’s team continued to look for more goals, but was caught out on 57:59 when Yegor Zelenov tied the game. Goalie Yegor Zavragin had not yet been called to the sidelines when his team sent the action into overtime.

In the extras, the Dragons struggled to generate offense and fell to defeat when Igor Nechayev broke clear on Buteyets net. Only a foul could stop him, and the Metallurg forward converted the penalty shot himself to settle the outcome.

Admiral Vladivostok vs HC Sochi – game postponed

Friday evening’s scheduled game between the Sailors and the Leopards has been moved to Sunday. Sochi has been unable to fly to Minsk due to the risk of drone attacks in Southern Russia.

Warm-up games

Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 2 Dynamo Moscow 5 (1-0, 0-3, 1-2)

Two goals from Magomed Sharakanov turned this game around and led Dynamo to victory in its first pre-season game. The Muscovites concluded their initial summer camp in Nizhny Novgorod Region with an exhibition game against Torpedo and Leonids Tambijevs saw his players claim a 5-2 victory.

Both teams went with experimental rosters. Torpedo’s Alexei Isakov looked at several youngsters and played forward Sergei Skvortsov, 17, on the second line. Only Andrei Belevich and Nikita Shavin brought much first team experience to the Torpedo roster. For Dynamo, Yegor Rimashevsky, Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi and Maxim Motorygin were the veterans on the team.

The teams started at a lively tempo, with Dynamo applying a big forecheck early on and putting Torpedo under pressure. But the home team handled that well and opened the scoring in the seventh minute when summer signing Daniil Seroukh beat Motorygin from the slot.

Dynamo finished the opening frame on the power play, but could not generate much of a threat. However, at equal strength Sharakanov scored fine goal to tie the game. He beat three opponents before placing a backhand shot past Dmitry Shugayev. The young defenseman then put the visitor in front four minutes later with a shot through traffic on the power play.

Shugayev made way for Dmitry Dagestansky midway through the game, and he allowed Dynamo’s third goal when Nikita Tertyshny banged one in at the back door. A couple of power play chances saw Torpedo ask some questions of Motorygin, but the Blue-and-Whites took a 3-1 lead to the intermission.

Another power play goal midway through the third saw Mikhail Melikov pad that advantage before Dmitry Breus pulled one back for Torpedo from a dead angle. Rimashevsky’s empty-netter wrapped up the win for Dynamo.

Ak Bars Kazan 1 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 (0-1, 1-0, 1-0)

Both of these teams began their summer schedules with victory over VHL opposition. However, Ak Bars is facing something of a player shortage after seeing eight first teamers leave since last season, with few replacements yet confirmed. Neftekhimik took advantage of that weakness to claim a morale-boosting victory over its Tatarstan rival on Friday afternoon.

Anvar Gatiyatulin was able to name a stronger roster today than in last week’s meeting with Neftyanik: in particular, Americans Mitch Miller and Alexander Chmelevski both featured, along with Grigory Denisenko, Alexei Marchenko and Timur Bilyalov. But this was still a line-up with many unfamiliar faces.

Neftekhimik was closer to full strength, and included import defenseman Tim Lovell for his first appearance in Russia. The 24-year-old has previously played in Finland and Germany, and spent last season in the ECHL. Fellow summer signings Artur Tyanulin, Alexander Petunin, Semyon Ruchkin and Pyotr Khokhryakov also made their debuts.

Neftekhimik was first to settle, boosted by two early power plays. Miller’s trip to the box brought no reward, but when Chmelevski followed him, Evgeny Mityakin opened the scoring after Andrei Belozyorov’s shot was saved.

After that, both teams had chances, but the next goal had to wait until late in the middle stanza. It went to Ak Bars: Miller, a consistent offensive presence all day, got the puck to the slot for Kirill Semyonov to tie the game.

At the start of the third Rafael Bikmullin – currently on a try-out at his old club – converted a counter attack to restore Neftekhimik’s lead. And that proved enough to win it, with Filipp Dolganov making some big saves to deny Artyom Galimov, Alexei Byvaltsev and Vladimir Alistrov.