Traktor with a firm victory over Severstal

First period
The period did not begin on a positive note for Traktor. Two minutes into the game Medvedev shot the puck from the blue line, and it found its way into the net after Zemchenko’s deflection. The first Traktor’s attacking effort came at the hands of Bulis and Kuznetsov – the former skated into the attacking zone and passed the puck to the latter who shot it right into the imposing figure of Vasily Koshechkin. Shortly thereafter Severstal gained a chance at power play which quickly transformed into five-on-three. Traktor weathered the storm though, thanks in no small part to Andrey Mezin. Once Traktor picked up the pace, Severstal’s players could not keep up with it and began to score one penalty after another. The home team besieged Koshechkin’s goal during these moments, and Glinkin missed a great opportunity to tie the score; plus Traktor hit the post twice. However, despite all the efforts, the 1:0 score stayed intact as both teams headed for a 15-minute break.

Second period
As soon as the period began, Traktor tied the game – Ryabykin scored his first season goal. Then the referees took the center stage, first leaving both teams four-on-four and then giving the visiting team a four-on-three power play. During this period of time Traktor displayed a picture-perfect example of shorthanded play, not even giving Severstal any chance to take possession of the puck. After the successful penalty killing Traktor executed a great attack; Antipov hid his shot from Koshechkin, then Dugin tried to score after he picked up the puck; Severstal’s goalie, however, prevailed on both exchanges. Before pulling ahead Traktor had one-man and two-man advantage, but it was the third power play that brought the needed result – Chistov charged a billiards-like shot that found the net. Traktor had another play before the buzzer, and this time Kuznetsov made fools out of Severstal’s defense twice, but Koshechkin did not allow Yevgeny’s shticks to become anything more than just aesthetic pleasure for the fans in attendance.

Third period
As it often happens, the third period eclipsed the first two in terms of happenings on the ice. Severstal bombarded Mezin’s goal during the starting five minutes, but Andrey stoically lived through the difficult times. His feats included a stellar save from the top corner and a great thinking on his feet after a wrap-around from one of Severstal’s forwards. Somewhere in between these two moments Mikko Lehtonen hit the post. Traktor’s skaters thanked their goaltender with a middle-period goal by Stanislav Chistov. After doubling the lead the home team focused mainly on keeping the comfortable goal margin. And again, it was Mezin’s time to shine; Andrey did not allow any of the takers to resuscitate the seemingly dead suspense to the match. A 3:1 victory keeps Traktor in the lead in Eastern conference standings.

Stats and details

Traktor (Chelyabinsk) vs. Severstal (Cherepovets) – 3:1 (0:1, 2:0, 1:0)

Goals: Zemchenko (Kazakovtsev, Medvedev), 2 (0:1); Ryabykin (Kontiola, Kostitsyn), 22 (1:1); Chistov (Quint, Kuznetsov), 33 (2:1 – power play); Chistov, 51 (3:1 – power play).

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

Severstal (Cherepovets)
Koshechkin;
Ryazantsev (C) – Caslava, Stolyarov (A) – Schipachev (A) – Lehtonen,
Laakso – Andersén, Nurtdinov – Vandell – Kazionov,
Yegorshev – Stasenko, Kazakovtsev – Medvedev – Zemchenko,
Gimbatov – Berdnikov – Kovyrshin.

Penalty Minutes: 12 (4+6+2) - 18 (4+10+4).
Shots: 29 (10+15+4) - 39 (16+5+18).
Faceoffs Won: 26 (7+11+8) - 26 (5+14+7).
Time on Ice: Kuznetsov (25:47), Quint (25:09), Ryabykin (21:48) - Ryazantsev (28:23), Caslava (22:55), Schipachev (21:15).
Power Play Goals: 2-0.

Referees: Sergey Gusev (Serov), Eduard Odins (Riga, Latvia).
Linesmen: Viktor Pavlov (Novosibirsk), Yakov Paley (Magnitogorsk).

November 2, 2012. Traktor Arena, Chelyabinsk, Russia. Attendance – 7000.