MHL. Successful hunt

Team captain Aleksandr Sharov returned to the lineup after suspension. Traktor goalie Vasili Demchenko took place in the net.

Just nine seconds after the starting face-off hosts’ D-man made a terrible mistake, giving the puck away in behind the gate. The puck landed onto Ivan Bezrukov’s stick who sent it into the net – 1:0. Literally in the next shift Aleksandr Gomolyako and Artyom Sevankayev could have punished Magnitogorsk team again, but Ilya Samsonov was more vigilant this time around. Belye Medvedi had to play shorthanded for some time, but it didn’t have any impact on the game. Five minutes into the period, Ilya Zinoviev had a good chance to score, but he was pushed away by two Magnitogorsk defenders. Then, Aleksandr Sharov took a nice wrister, but the goaltender caught the puck. A moment later, Semyon Afonasyevsky hit the bar. When Nikita Zhloba headed to Medvedi’s slot, Nikita Zhuldikov played very carefully and neutralized the threat, but in the middle of the period Lisy finally managed to score the tying goal. One of the few Lisy attacks ended in a breakaway, and Artyom Sevankayev could not prevent Artur Boltanov from scoring as the puck slipped into the net. However, Lisy’s joy was short-lived as Yevgeni Nazarkin’s shot from the blue line all of a sudden turned it into 2:1 on the scoreboard. One minute later, Aleksandr Sharov scratched and clawed to get the puck out of the hands of a Lisy D-man and sent it under the crossbar – 3:1. Belye Medvedi had to play shorthanded for the final two minutes of the period because Vasili Demchenko got a penalty for delaying the game. Soon after, Danil Mamayev received a penalty, but hosts could not convert this great chance.

Belye Medvedi were very undisciplined tonight. Once the fifth player hit the ice, the official raised his hand again. Most of the action, however, went on in Lisy’ own zone, but still, Denis Sergushkin had a very good chance, but was not allowed to take a shot. The opponents played a little bit of seesaw game, but then Medvedi once again claimed a penalty. During these two minutes, Dmitri Arsenyuk had a chance on goal, but Chelyabinsk defensemen played well and neutralized the threat. Then, the bar saved our team, and the bounce led to a counterattack by Aleksandr Tridchikov and Artyom Sevankayev. They failed to score, and in the next shift Semyon Afonasyevsky took a very nice shot, but the position was too uncomfortable to outdo the goaltender. Finally, our team received a power play chance, but nothing interesting happened during these two minutes. Then, however, Lisy organized a wonderful attack. Fortunately, Medvedi ended this part of the game without any goals allowed. After that, ninety seconds before the break Vyacheslav Osnovin earned a penalty shot and utilized it to perfection – 4:1.

Less than five minutes since the start of the final period, our team’s player received two minutes again, but Lisy once again were not persistent enough in their efforts. A couple of minutes later, Artyom Sevankayev broke through two opponents and was prepared to score, but at the last moment was pushed away, which led to another penalty shot. Of course, Sevankayev converted it perfectly – 5:1. Medvedi were unable to score more, but had some chances to do just that. For instance, Vyacheslav Osnovin’s shot from faceoff circle was blocked by Samsonov, and, during the power play, our boys did not score either. Nonetheless, the match ended with the score of 5:1. Medvedi are one win away from reaching Kharlamov Cup quarterfinals.

Game details

STALNYE LISY vs. BELYE MEDVEDI – 1:5 (1:3, 0:1, 0:1)
Goals: Bezrukov, 1 (0:1); Boltanov, 10 (1:1); Nazarkin, 13 (1:2); Sharov (Zakarlyukin, Bezrukov), 14 (1:3); Osnovin, 39 (1:4 – penalty shot); Sevankayev, 48 (1:5 – penalty shot).

STALNYE LISY
Samsonov;
Zhloba – Volgin, Arsenyuk – Zakharov – Kharytinsky;
Yuzeyev – Varanitsa, Kudrin – Menshchikov – Boltanov;
Shurygin – Ikamatskikh, Sergushkin – Mukhamedzyanov – Polukarov;
Yanchevsky – Igoshev, Zaytsev – Yeremin – Ilmenev.

BELYE MEDVEDI
Demchenko;
Zabavin – Nazarkin, Bezrukov – Sharov – Zakarlyukin;
Chistyakov – Mamayev, Sevankayev – Tridchikov – Gomolyako;
Petrikov – Zhuldikov, Afonasyevsky – Melikhov – Zinovyev;
Isayev – Voynov, Yerofeyev – Osnovin – Penkovsky.

Shots: 33 (11+16+6) – 41 (15+11+15).
Faceoffs won: 29 (12+8+9) – 31 (16+7+8).
PIM: 6 (0+4+2) – 16 (6+8+2)
Series score: 0-2.

Senior officials: Viktor Spirin, Aleksandr Stepuchyov.

March 15, 2015. Arena-Metallurg, Magnitogorsk, Russia.

Photo by Metallurg Magnitogorsk Press Office