Traktor with a third victory in a row

First period
The first period was evenly matched; there was one difference though – Traktor scored, and Dinamo did not. During the first four minutes Quint and Nesterov had their attempts on goal, but Tellqvist was on point. Couple of minutes later it was Andrey Mezin who had to save his team from trouble when Szczechura charged a crease shot. Middle-period the home team wasted a couple of opportunities to pull ahead during the power play. Sometime later Traktor reciprocated; however, visitors still managed to open the score before the break – Karpov took the puck away after an ill-timed pass and upset Tellqvist with a crease shot; the puck found the net, giving Traktor the lead moments before the intermission.

Second period
Dinamo made the necessary conclusions during the break, and, as a result, dominated their opponents for the better part of the period. Mezin saved the day for Traktor from two close-range shots by Karsums. Traktor retaliated in kind with several decent shots by Kontiola, Yakutsenya and Kuznetsov, all of them turned away by Tellqvist. Mezin hoisted the fallen heroes’ flag again with a stick save after Cibulskis’ stiff middle-zone slapshot. The game of seesaw continued when Kuznetsov outmaneuvered two Dinamo’s defensemen and took a backhand shot, but the score remained intact. Shortly thereafter the crowd in attendance saw a one-on-one fest at the hands of Dinamo; Karsums and Giroux were the perpetrators, Mezin and Quint respectively – the heroes of the moment. Nonetheless, Dinamo’s goal was long overdue, and it came five minutes before the break when Cibulskis pierced Mezin with a precise wrist shot. Just as the period was coming to a close, Giroux gave Dinamo the lead and the psychological advantage heading for a break.

Third period
When Traktor is in the matchup, it’s a safe bet to assume that there will be fireworks. Tonight’s match was no exception. Antipov fired the first bullet when he picked up the puck after Kuznetsov tried to push it into the net, and sent it to the right recipient, that is, into Tellqvist’s goal. The home team did not back down and quickly pulled ahead again. Traktor reloaded their ammo and fired a doublet – Kontiola and Yakutsenya pulled the trigger twice, and the initiative in a gunfight slipped into Traktor’s hands. Closing moments of the game could give anyone a heart attack; thankfully, Mezin was flawless during this period of time. Vyacheslav Belov became the doctor who rescued both the feeble and the sturdy with an empty-net goal. 5:3 – Traktor emerges victorious in a third straight match and is scheduled to face Donbass this Thursday in Donetsk, Ukraine.

Stats and details

Dinamo (Riga) vs. Traktor (Chelyabinsk) – 3:5 (0:1, 2:0, 1:4)

Goals: Karpov, 20 (0:1); Cibulskis (Johnson), 26 (1:1); Giroux (Szczechura, Nizivijs), 39 (2:1 – power play); Antipov (Kuznetsov), 41 (2:2);  Džeriņš (Daugavins, Galvins), 43 (3:2); Kontiola (Belov), 44 (3:3); Yakutsenya (Kostitsyn), 46 (3:4); Belov (Kontiola), 60 (3:5 – empty net).

Dinamo (Riga)
Tellqvist (0:00 - 59:29, 59:52 - 60:00);
K. Redlihs – Galvins (C), Karsums – Johnson – Indrasis,
J. Redlihs – Cibulskis, Giroux – Szczechura – Nizivijs,
Rekis – Sotnieks, Daugavins – Džeriņš– Meija,
Schremp – Bicevskis – Biezais.

Traktor (Chelyabinsk)
Mezin;
Shinin – Ryabykin (A), Chistov – Kontiola – Kuznetsov,
Nesterov – Katichev, Panov (A) – Antipov (C) – Suglobov,
Belov – Vasilchenko, Yakutsenya – Kostitsyn,
Razin – Quint, Glinkin – Popov – Karpov.

Penalty Minutes: 6 (2+2+2) - 10 (4+6+0).
Shots: 29 (7+13+9) - 28 (7+6+13).
Faceoffs Won: 41 (19+11+11) - 28 (8+11+9).
Time on Ice: Cibulskis (22:21), K. Redlihs (22:13), Galvins (22:02) - Kontiola (23:05), Nesterov (21:23), Kuznetsov (19:04).
Power Play Goals: 1-0.

Referees: Aleksey Belov (Yaroslavl), Sergey Gusev (Serov).
Linesmen: Sergey Morozov (Moscow Oblast), Konstantin Chubykin (Moscow).

October 23, 2012. Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia. Attendance – 6370.

Photo courtesy of Dinamo Riga’s Press Office