KHL - July Friendlies

KHL Friendlies

July

Many of the preseason training camps were coming to an end, just in time for the traditional round of friendly and exhibition games in the run-up to the new season. 

Tuesday 21

* The first friendly game of the season saw Dinamo Minsk test their mettle against HC Yunost from the Belarusian Extraliga. The name Yunost translates into English as “youth,” and on this occasion they proved the livelier of the two and posted a 3-2 win over the KHL side. Canadian forward Paul Szczechura and Czech defenseman Lukas Krajicek scored for Dinamo, but it was not enough. 

* Lada chose Latvia as the venue for their first preseason camp, and in the small town of Ozolnieki the men from Togliatti achieved an impressive victory over the Latvian national team. The teams were tied at 3-3 at the end of regulation, thanks in no small part to a blistering display by the Streltsov twins, with Vasily scoring once and Alexander recording a double, before Alexander Mokshantsev settled the affair in the shootout. 

* The sleepy little village of Vierumaki, about 100 miles north of the Finnish capital, Helsinki, staged a match-up between Spartak and Lokomotiv. Having missed all of last season due to financial woes, the Red-and-Whites were facing their first game in 504 days, but German Titov’s team showed no signs of rust and a goal in the first period from American forward Casey Wellman gave them a surprise 1-0 lead at the interval. However, the setback merely stung Alexei Kudashov’s boys into action, and they hit back with six unanswered goals to record a confident victory. Dmitry Maltsev (right) was the pick of the Yaroslavl men, finishing the evening with a hat-trick, and there was a goal apiece for Yegor Averin, Emil Galimov and Sergei Konkov.

Friday 24

* Dinamo Riga took on Lada in the little Latvian town of Valmiera, and there was a strong North American flavor to the contest. A two-goal burst in the 17th minute, from Canada’s Steven Seigo and the USA’s Tim Sestito, suggested as easy evening for the Latvians, but a second-period strike from Stanislav Bocharov halved the deficit. The result remained in doubt until 20 seconds from the end, when Sergei Svetlov replaced Ivan Kasutin with a sixth skater and Tomas Kundratek gratefully guided the puck into the unguarded net.

* Fans in Maribor, Slovenia, were treated to two highly entertaining clashes in two days between Slovan Bratislava and Salavat Yulaev, and on both occasions the Slovaks celebrated victory by a slender 3-2 margin. Friday's affair was settled by a double from Andrej Stastny and a strike from Ziga Jeglic, with Anton Lazarev and Denis Bodrov scoring for the Ufa men. Jeglic was also on the scoreboard in Wednesday's encounter, with Ladislav Nagy and Pavol Skalicky inflicting the rest of the damage for Milos Riha's men in a frantic second period, after Teemu Hartikainen had opened the scoring for Anatoly Yemelin's team. A third period reply from Enver Lisin kept the result in doubt until the final siren sounded. 

* Three days after thrashing Spartak 6-1 in Vierumaki, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl continued their tour of Finland with a fiercely contested game in Espoo against Gagarin Cup winners SKA Saint Petersburg. The outcome suggests that both coaches, Loko’s Alexei Kudashov, and new SKA boss Andrei Nazarov, have been paying particular attention to powerplays, as only one of the seven goals on the night was scored with ten skaters on the ice. It was Yaroslavl who emerged the stronger as they punished SKA penalties on four occasions to seal a thrilling 4-3 win, thanks to a double from Jonas Enlund and one each for Geoff Platt and Patrik Hersley. The champions replied with powerplay strikes from Alexander Kadeikin and Jarno Koskiranta, and the game’s solitary even strength goal from Svyatoslav Grebenshchikov. 

* HC Sochi invited Severstal Cherepovets to a game in the famous Russian resort, but the southerners found themselves on the receiving end of a 5-1 hammering by the tourists from the steel city up north. A hat-trick by Igor Skorokhodov and a brace from Sergei Monakhov gave boss Vaclav Sykora plenty to smile about, while a goal from Dmitry Kazionov gave some brief cheer to Vyacheslav Butsayev’s men. 

* The burghers of Chomutov in the Czech Republic witnessed a high-scoring clash between Avangard and Metallurg Novokuznetsk, with Evgeny Kornоukhov’s Omsk men romping to a 7-3 victory. Nikolai Lemtyugov (twice), Ilya Zubov, Valentin Pyanov, Alexei Glukhov, Yury Petrov and Alexei Sopin scored for Avangard, with Robert Kousal, Mark Skutar and Alexander Komaristy replying for Nikolay Solovyov’s team.

Sunday 26

* Fans in the Czech city of Liberec watched Avtomobilist of Yekaterinburg inflict a resounding 5-0 defeat on Metallurg of Novokuznetsk. Finnish forward Eero Elo scored a double for his new employers, and there was a goal apiece for Alexander Loginov Artyom Gareyev and Kirill Lebedev.

* There was another one-sided affair in Espoo, Finland, as SKA Saint Petersburg bounced back from Friday’s defeat against Lokomotiv by handing out a 6-1 hammering to Neftekhimik. Yury Alexandrov, Arseny Khatsei, Roman Rukavishnikov, Alexander Barabanov, Evgeny Artyukhin and Joakim Lindstrom got the goals for the KHL champions, with US forward Jeff Taffe replying for the men from Nizhnekamsk. 

* Metallurg Magnitogorsk are regular preseason visitors to the resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, nestling in the foothills of the Italian Alps, and Sunday’s opponents were the Italian national team. Sergei Mozyakin and Sergei Tereshchenko scored for Mike Keenan’s side, but it was not enough to prevent the Italians from recording an impressive 4-2 victory.

Monday 27

* SKA and Neftekhimik met again in Espoo, Finland, for their second friendly in as many days. In Sunday’s encounter the Gagarin Cup holder coasted to a 6-1 win, but this was a much tighter affair. Nizhnekamsk finished the first period with a 1-0 lead, thanks to a strike from Yegor Milovzorov, and they still held a slender advantage after the teams shared four goals in a lively second stanza, with Igor Polygalov and US forward Jeff Taffe canceling out strikes from SKA’s Evgeny Ketov and Yury Alexandrov. SKA gained the upper hand in the final third of the game with two goals in 79 seconds, courtesy of Jarno Koskiranta and Alexander Kadeikin. That was enough to give Andrei Nazarov’s men a hard-earned 4-3 victory.

* In Bressanone, northern Italy, Traktor took on the Italian national team, which the day before had inflicted a surprise 4-2 defeat on Magnitogorsk. Andrei Nikolishin’s men made an impressive start with a goal from Martin Ruzicka as early as the third minute, but their hosts fought back and ruthlessly punished a pair of Chelyabinsk penalties to grab a 2-1 win and join the men of Petersburg in celebrating a second successive victory.

Tuesday 28

* In the Czech city of Ostrava, Dinamo Minsk had to overcome fierce resistance from their hosts, Vítkovice Steel, before eventually sealing a 5-3 win. Lubomir Pokovic’s boys twice fell behind, but Andrei Mikhalyov and Nikita Komarov restored the balance and further strikes from Sergei Drozd, Canadian forward Jonathan Cheechoo and US defenseman Nick Bailen earned the Belarusians their first win of the preseason.

* Slovan and Torpedo were also in action in the Czech Republic, in Brno, the capital of Moravia. Goals from Ziga Jeglic and Ladislav Nagy gave Bratislava a 2-1 win, while Oleg Piganovich replied for the Nizhny Novgorod side. 

* Vityaz of Moscow Region were defeated 6-2 by Dinamo Riga in Valmiera, Latvia. Felix Schutz, Miks Indrasis, Lauris Darzins, Gints Meija, Mikelis Redlihs and Canada’s Steven Seigo were on target for Kari Heikkila’s men, while a goal each for Nikita Shatsky and Olli Palola brought some brief respite for Vityaz boss Oleg Orekhovsky. 

* HC Sochi has chosen to begin their preseason at home, on the shores of the Black Sea, and on Tuesday Vyacheslav Butsaev’s men enjoyed an entertaining 6-4 win over HC Toros of the VHL. The Sochi goals came courtesy of Yegor Morozov, Vadim Shchegolkov, Alexander Shcherbina, Max Warn, Renat Mamashev and Ilya Krikunov.

Wednesday 29

* Fans in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and Switzerland got the chance to see the stars of Europe’s biggest hockey league preparing for the forthcoming season, with six KHL teams featuring in four friendlies across the continent. Once again, it was a torrid day for defensemen, and even the lowest-scoring game produced five goals.

* Avangard has set up camp in Chomutov, Czech Republic, and they took on the local team, Pirati. Despite goals from Jonas Ahnelov, Denis Kulyash and Pavel Valentenko, the Omsk men were second best in a bruising contest, and the “Pirates” celebrated a 4-3 win. 

* The final score was also 4-3 in Espoo, Finland, where SKA Saint Petersburg faced Spartak Moscow. Strikes from Vadim Shipachyov, Evgeny Artyukhin, Ilya Kablukov and Anton Burdasov sealed victory for the Gagarin Cup winners, while Canadian defenseman Charles Genoway, Sergei Shmelyov and Igor Levitsky replied for the Muscovites. 

* Metallurg Magnitogorsk faced off against Traktor in the Bavarian town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Chelyabinsk men opened the scoring in the first period through Alexei Petrov, but any celebrations were premature. Four unanswered goals from Alexei Bereglazov, Sergei Mozyakin, Igor Svorjov and Danis Zaripov gave Magnitka a comfortable 4-1 victory. 

* The fans in Davos, Switzerland, were treated to a feast of goals in an entertaining contest between the home team and Barys Astana. The men from Kazakhstan eventually won 6-3, and kept the Swiss scoreboard operators busy with goals from from Vyacheslav Tryasunov, Kirill Savitsky, Konstantin Rudenko, Talgat Zhailauov, Konstantin Pushkaryov and Evgeny Rymarev.

Thursday 30

* There was an all-KHL clash in the Latvian capital, as Dinamo Riga played host to Sibir of Novosibirsk. The game turned out to be a fiercely contested affair with a strong North American influence. Kari Heikkila's Latvians hit the target three times, thanks to two goals from Canadian Steven Seigo and another from American Tim Sestito, but strikes from Calle Ridderwall, Maxim Shalunov, Vladimir Roth and Sergei Shumakov sealed a battling 4-3 win for Andrei Skabelka’s Siberians.

* In the Czech Republic, Metallurg Novokuznetsk boss Nikolai Solovyov has plenty to ponder after a solitary goal by Pavel Makarenko turned out to be the only positive note in a 1-4 defeat at the hands of Liberec.

* Dinamo Minsk has also set up camp in the Czech lands, and Lubomir Pokovic’s Belarusians celebrated a 4-2 win in Silesia against the home team, Ocelari Trinec, thanks to goals from US defenseman Nick Bailen, Sergei Drozd, Alexander Materukhin and Bailen’s fellow American, Ryan Vesce. 

* Dynamo Moscow’s preseason training camp is in the town of Pinsk in southern Belarus, and on Thursday the Blue-and-Whites tested their mettle against opposition from the northwest of the country, HK Neman Grodno. The Muscovites proved too strong on the night, and a goal apiece for Dmitriy Vishnevsky, Konstantin Volkov and Danil Tarasov plus a double from Maxim Karpov gave Harijs Vitolins’s men a 5-2 victory.

Friday 31

* Japan’s national team made the short trip to Khabarovsk on Russia’s Pacific coast to take part in an exhibition match against Amur. The hosts enjoyed a comfortable 5-1 victory, thanks to a goal each from Tom Wandell, Mikhail Zheleznov, Vitaly Shulakov, Dmitry Tarasov and Vyacheslav Litovchenko.

* Dynamo Moscow has set up camp in Belarus and was in action for the second successive day. After Thursday’s confident 5-2 win over Neman Grodno, the Blue-and-Whites took on the men from Belarus’s second city, Gomel, and once again emerged the stronger, albeit by the more modest margin of 3-2. Kaspars Daugavins, Konstantin Gorovikov and Kirill Pilipenko scored for the Muscovites. 

* In Switzerland, Barys and Davos met for the second time in three days following the Astana men’s resounding 6-3 win on Wednesday. Yesterday’s rematch must have felt like a re-run for the hapless Swiss hosts as they suffered another defeat by a three-goal margin. The final score this time was 5-2, with Mikhail Panshin, Konstantin Romanov, Talgat Zhailauov, Vyacheslav Tryasunov and US defenseman Mike Lundin inflicting the damage. 

* Dinamo Riga gained revenge for Thursday's dramatic 3-4 defeat by Sibir with a nail-biting 3-2 victory in the Latvian capital. Dinamo twice came from behind, with goals from Armands Berzins and American forward Tim Sestito canceling out go-ahead strikes from Sibir’s Maxim Shalunov and Alexei Kopeikin, and then Ville Leino struck the decisive goal in the shootout. 

* Avangard ended its preseason camp in the Czech Republic on a winning note by defeating Ugra 4-3 in Chomutov. Nikolai Glukhov, Jonas Ahnelov, Alexander Chernikov and Vladimir Sobotka were on target for the Omsk Region side, while the Khanty-Mansiysk men hit back with two goals from Nikita Gusev and another from Alexei Mikhnov. 

* CSKA opened its program of preseason games with the first of two scheduled friendlies against HC Sochi in Moscow. Friday’s encounter finished 5-1 to the Army Men, with Alexander Radulov hitting a double and Vadim Khlopotov, Simon Hjalmarsson and Maxim Mamin also finding the net. Canadian forward Ben Maxwell struck the visitors’ only goal.