Metallurg wins again, Avangard stumbles in home opener

Day one of the Blinov Cup saw host club Avangard suffer a 2-5 loss to Sibir. In Magnitogorsk, Metallurg moved clear at the top with victory over Traktor.

Blinov Cup

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 4 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 (0-1, 3-0, 1-1)

The opening game of the Blinov Cup saw several of Lokomotiv’s Kharlamov Cup winners contribute to a victory over Nefetkhimik. Dmitry Kvartalnov included Ilyas Magomedsultanov, Gennady Chaly, Matvei Kotkov, Vadim Dudorov, Andrei Pustovoi and Kirill Yemelyanov against a Wolves line-up that was close to full strength.

In the first period, Neftekhimik’s experience made the difference. Although Loko made the brighter start, penalty trouble got the Wolves into the game and the second power play brought a goal when Evgeny Mityakin and Damir Zhafyarov set up Artyom Serikov for the opener.

In the middle stanza, youth had its fling. Yemelyanov tied the game on 23:32, deftly redirecting Alexander Yelesin’s point shot. Then, nine seconds later, Kotkov’s pressing forced an error that led to Yegor Surin steering Daniil Misyul’s effort into the net.

The pressure on Filipp Dolganov’s net continued, and another youngster, Dudorov, made it 3-1 towards the end of the frame.

Yemelyanov continued his impressive game with an assist as Artur Kayumov made it 4-1 midway through the third period. Andrei Belozyorov pulled one back for Neftekhimik late on, but it was merely a consolation.

Avangard Omsk 2 Sibir Novosibirsk 5 (0-0, 1-2, 1-3)

With key players Damir Sharipzyanov, Cedric Paquette and Alexander Volkov all injured, Guy Boucher had to give game time to his reserves at the start of Avangard’s home tournament. That meant action for forward Gleb Burlaka and defensemen Alexei Yegorov and Lev Starikov. The Hawks did not face

Evgeny Kuznetsov in their first game of the summer, but otherwise Sibir iced a strong roster.

In the first period these two Siberian rivals cancelled each other out. Avangard made the brighter start before Sibir came into the game more strongly. And in the middle frame, the visitor took the initiative, opening a 2-0 lead. Taylor Beck dinged the crossbar on a power play before Alexander Mirzabayev opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal, continuing his impressive summer form. Avangard generated more scoring chances, only to fall further behind on Mikhail Orlov’s point shot midway through the session.

Avangard got back into the game. Josh Leivo’s stretch pass released Vasily Ponomaryov, who reduced the deficit before the second intermission. Then, in the third period, the Hawks saw a goal whistled off for interference on Sibir goalie Anton Krasotkin before Andrew Poturalski tied it up in the 53rd minute.

But it took barely half a minute for Sibir to get back in front thanks to Semyon Koshelev. After that, Omsk went all-out to tie the scores, dominating the play and eventually deploying a sixth skater. But the effort was in vain: Sibir potted two empty-netters, with Arkhip Nekolenko and Mikhail Abramov on target to pad the final scoreline.

Romazan Memorial

Amur Khabarovsk 1 Lada Togliatti 3 (0-0, 1-2, 0-1)

Amur’s impressive tournament form hit a blip with Wednesday’s loss to Lada. After dominating last week’s Republic of Bashkortostan Cup and taking Metallurg to OT in their opener in Magnitogorsk, the Tigers suffered a first regulation loss of the summer. Alexander Andriyevsky made 10 changes to the team that faced Magnitka, including a debut for Slava Voynov on defense.

Lada, meanwhile, claimed victory in its opening game here as Ben King scored on his debut for the Motormen.

After a goalless and even first period, the second started with a pair of quick markers. Pavel Kudryavtsev opened the scoring on 21:55, but Amur quickly tied the game through Kirill Pilipenko. Midway through the session, Lada again got in front thanks to Rasim Shakirov. He reaped the rewards after his team managed to get bodies on the slot, scoring on the wraparound to make it 2-1.

Amur responded by trying to hold possession at the other end of the ice. At times, the Tigers did a good job of moving the puck around Lada’s zone, but struggled to generate genuine scoring chances. The game remained live until the last minute, but King’s empty net goal put the outcome beyond doubt.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 Traktor Chelyabinsk 1 (1-1, 1-0, 1-0)

Nathan Legare scored again – moving to five goals in three pre-season games – but is still waiting for his first victory as a Traktor player. The Canadian opened the scoring in today’s South Ural derby, only for Metallurg to bounce back to take a 3-1 verdict.

Magnitka’s head coach Andrei Razin tends to chop and change his teams in pre-season. Today, he was close to full strength against the Steelmen’s local rival. His opposite number Scott Gordon made fewer switches, but rested goalie Henrik Haukeland in favor of Dmitry Nikolayev while switching up a few skaters.

The first period was shaped by power plays, and Traktor made more of its opportunities. Mikhail Grigorenko set up Grigory Dronov for a point shot and Legare scored from the slot midway through the session. But the lead did not last until the first intermission: Stepan Starkov tied it up in similar fashion, redirecting Valery Orekhov’s long-range effort.

After the intermission, Metallurg got on top. Two power plays in a row led to a goal for Vladislav Provolnyev off a stretch pass from Nathan Todd. And the third period also brought an early goal for the host. Vladimir Tkachyov and Andrei Kozlov passed their way through the defense for the latter to make it 3-1. As befits a local derby, there was time for some rough stuff as Provolnyev and Legare traded blows. However, there was no further scoring as Metallurg moved clear at the top of the standings.