2012/2013 Playoffs. Spotless 180 minutes for Michael Garnett

Once again, Traktor’s line-up didn’t undergo any changes compared to the previous game.

First period
Traktor had a sizeable advantage in the first period while Avangard chose to seek their chances in counterattacks. The home team gained an early lead when Aleksey Vasilchenko found the net with a shot from the blue line. Minutes later Panov tried to deflect to puck into the net, but it whistled over the bar. Avangard responded with a sharp attack executed by Volkov and Ivanov; Garnett blocked the puck with a pad save. Traktor didn’t faze and reciprocated with a couple of chances of their own, yet neither Kostitsyn nor Popov were able to double Traktor’s lead. The home team looked better in terms of movement on the ice, but was either unlucky in the final stages of the attack or Ramo was flawless. Avangard had a chance before the break when Zaborsky tried to outsmart Garnett and catch him off guard; the score didn’t change as both teams headed for an intermission.

Second period
Maksim Yakutsenya signaled the start of the period with a shot aimed between Ramo’s pads; Avangard’s goalie managed to save his team. Realizing that the time was slowly crawling away, Avangard summoned all the strength and locked Traktor in their own zone; Valentenko charged a blue line shot that was turned aside by Garnett. Traktor had a 100% chance mid-period when Katichev, much to the chagrin of Chelyabinsk faithful, hit the post. Having failed to score, Yevgeny decided to get back to his trademark hits and laid out Pivtsakin with one. After taking a little breather both teams returned to their attacking ways. First, Kontiola was blocked on the crease by Avangard’s defensemen; however, Traktor failed to capitalize on the power play opportunity. Andrey Kostitsyn then had another chance on goal, but Ramo saved Avangard from more trouble than they already had. Closer to the horn Avangard began pressing the issue again and could very well have tied it up if it wasn’t for Garnett; dozen of seconds before the buzzer Michael covered the puck that was lying on the ice inches before the net.

Third period
Traktor continued the trend of the previous two matches, scoring twice in the final 20 minutes. Some six minutes into the period Panov and Yakutsenya constructed a simple yet effective combination that ended with Maksim hitting the net and increasing Traktor’s lead. Smelling blood, the home team began circling their prey and found a moment for a final fling; Kostitsyn charged a backhander which Ramo turned aside only for Popov to add the puck into the empty net. At this point Traktor was guaranteed a victory, and there was one thing everyone was eager to find out – was Michael Garnett going to garner another shutout? The answer to that was yes; having endured a final flurry of Avangard’s offense, Traktor kept a clean sheet in a third consecutive match. Besides that, fans in attendance were treated to a little melee between Kuznetsov and Zaborsky that served as a victory bonus. 3:0 in the match and the same score in the series as Traktor prepares to end it all in tonight’s game 4.

Stats and details

Traktor vs. Avangard – 3:0 (1:0, 0:0, 2:0)

Goals: Vasilchenko (Yakutsenya), 2 (1:0); Yakutsenya (Panov, Vasilchenko), 46 (2:0); Popov (Kostitsyn, Antipov), 47 (3:0).

Traktor (Chelyabinsk)
Garnett;
Quint – Ryabykin (A), Chistov – Bulis – Kuznetsov,
V. Belov – Vasilchenko, Panov (A) – Kontiola – Yakutsenya,
Katichev – Razin, Antipov (C) – Andrey Popov – Kostitsyn,
Nichushkin – Dugin – Karpov, Glinkin.

Avangard (Omsk Region)
Ramo;
Valentenko – A. Belov, Aleksandr Popov – Semin – Frolov (C),
Piganovich – Pivtsakin, Zaborsky – Kuparinen – Perezhogin,
Lyamin – Pujacs, Kalinin – Kuryanov – Ivanov,
Gusev, Volkov – Taratukhin – Pervushin.

Penalty Minutes: 8 (0+2+6) - 10 (4+2+4).
Shots: 20 (7+8+5) - 24 (4+10+10).
Faceoffs Won: 28 (14+9+5) - 27 (4+11+12).
Time on Ice: Ryabykin (25:05), Quint (24:52), Razin (18:07) - Lyamin (20:48), A. Belov (20:27), Frolov (19:37).
Power Play Goals: 0-0.

Referees: Vyacheslav Bulanov (Moscow), Viktor Gashilov (Perm).
Linesmen: Konstantin Gordenko, Viktor Tomilov (both – Ufa).

March 12, 2013. Traktor Arena, Chelyabinsk, Russia. Attendance – 7500.