2012/2013 Playoffs. 120 minutes of no-goal policy and Nichushkin’s doublet
Traktor’s lineup was left
unchanged compared to yesterday’s game.
First period
Avangard started pressing the issue from the get-go, but soon enough Traktor
got the game under control just like yesterday. Three minutes passed until Valery Nichushkin scored another Valera-style goal in a swift and powerful
solo effort. Traktor had another chance momentarily, but Kostitsyn missed the net by a whisker. Mid-period Kuznetsov lingered with a shot and
tried to upset Ramo from the
negative angle; Avangard’s goaltender was ready for this and neutralized the
threat. Avangard was barely noticeable on the ice; the home team had two
memorable attacking efforts in the period, one being Lyamin’s vicious slapshot, the other – power play onslaught cooled
down by Traktor’s D-men and Michael Garnett.
Second period
The game’s second period was noteworthy due to many penalties (22 minutes
combined). Traktor began the period with two power play chances; during this
period of time Vyacheslav Belov could increase visitors' lead,
but was not able to hit the net. After returning to full strength, Avangard had
their fair share of power play time; the home team had a nice flurry of offense
neutralized by Garnett’s cover-up. Once
in full strength, Traktor recaptured the initiative and could double the lead
on several occasions; Nichushkin and Kostitsyn had similar two-on-one
chances, but Ramo gave his team
hope, saving Avangard both times. Right before the horn Traktor got another power
play; Panov had yet another chance
from close range; unfortunately for all of Traktor’s fans, the score didn’t
change.
Third period
It was deja-vu all over again in the third period; similar to yesterday’s bout Avangard
was exerting the attacking pressure, Traktor fought it off successfully and had
some chances in counterattacks. Around mid-period Aleksandr Frolov was unable
to hit the empty net. After this wake-up call Traktor forgot about attacking
altogether, concentrating on defense and counters. This proved to be a fruitful
strategy; seven minutes before the horn Valery Nichushkin scratched and clawed his
way to Ramo’s net only to finish his
effort with a well-deserved goal. Avangard was devastated; couple of shifts
later home team’s D-men blundered and gave the puck away to Kontiola who ended his breakaway effort
with a powerful slapshot to the top corner. Traktor once again kept the clean
sheet thanks in no small part to Michael Garnett and now heads to Chelyabinsk
to try to end the series on home ice.
Stats and details
Avangard vs. Traktor – 0:3 (0:1, 0:0, 0:2)
Goals: Nichushkin, 4 (0:1); Nichushkin (Dugin), 53
(0:2); Kontiola, 55 (0:3).
Avangard (Omsk Region)
Ramo;
Salmela – A. Belov, Volkov – Aleksandr Popov – Perezhogin,
Piganovich – Pivtsakin, Zaborsky – Semin – Frolov (C),
Lyamin – Pujacs, Kalinin – Kuryanov – Ivanov,
Gusev, Nesterov – Kuparinen – Bumagin.
Traktor (Chelyabinsk)
Garnett;
Quint – Ryabykin (A), Chistov – Bulis – Kuznetsov,
V. Belov – Vasilchenko, Panov (A) – Kontiola – Yakutsenya,
Katichev – Razin, Antipov (C) – Andrey Popov – Kostitsyn,
Nesterov, Nichushkin – Dugin – Karpov,
Glinkin.
Penalty Minutes: 8 (0+8+0) - 18 (2+14+2).
Shots: 21 (7+5+9) - 20 (7+10+3).
Faceoffs Won: 28 (12+4+12) - 23 (7+14+2).
Time on Ice: A. Belov (24:01), Pivtsakin (20:33), Pujacs (19:13) - Ryabykin (26:08), Quint (25:25), Bulis (18:36).
Power Play Goals: 0-0.
Referees: Jyri Ronn (Juvaskyla, Finland), Aleksey Anisimov (Moscow).
Linesmen: Aleksandr Zakharenkov, Stanislav Pavlov (both – Moscow).
March 9, 2013. Omsk Arena, Omsk, Russia.
Attendance – 8120.
Photo courtesy of Avangard’s Press Office
