The 26-year wait is over: the Russians are Olympic champions once again. But few could have anticipated the thrilling battle against a German team that belied its lowly reputation to push Oleg Znarok’s team all the way. Only a short-handed goal from Nikita Gusev 55 seconds from the end saved the Olympic Athletes from Russia from a sensational defeat before Kirill Kaprizov potted his fifth of the Games to claim an overtime victory. Gusev’s strike, his second of the game, tied the scores at 3-3 at a time when it seemed that his team’s golden dream was on the verge of evaporating. Germany led on a Jonas Muller goal, Sergei Kalinin was sitting out a tripping penalty and time was running out. A desperate scrum in front of Danny aus den Birken’s net saw the puck break to the left where Gusev had drifted into space and managed to lift a backhand to the top shelf and reprieve Russia.
And Kaprizov made the most of that chance in the 70th minute when he rifled home the game-winner – off a Gusev feed dot-to-dot – and secure his place in
hockey history.
“Nikita gave me a great pass, I was just lucky to get on the end of it,” smiled the 20-year-old CSKA prodigy. “But it didn’t matter who scored the goal, as long as we won.”
Gusev, with two goals and two assists, was the undoubted star for Russia. And his tying goal was a special moment for the whole team. Captain Pavel Datsyuk described the emotion on the bench as the puck broke for his SKA colleague to save the game. “When we were down 2-3 and Gusev had that shot, I think everyone’s heart stopped on the bench,” Datsyuk said. “But when the goal went in, we came back to life.”
It was a hugely tense moment: Ivan Telegin admitted he was praying for a goal as the clock ran down.
Vyacheslav Voynov
Throughout the game, a brave effort by the German underdog made life tougher than expected for Oleg Znarok’s team. A tight, scoreless first period ended with a goal in the final second from Slava Voynov – named as the best defenseman of the tournament by the IIHF directorate – but even then, Marco Sturm’s men did not crumble.
Instead Germany rallied in the second period and tied the scores when an uncharacteristic blunder from Vasily Koshechkin allowed the puck to slip under his arm after Felix Schutz tried to find Patrick Hager in the slot.
The third period followed a similar pattern. Gusev put the Russians in front in the 54th minute, slotting home a Kaprizov feed from the tightest of angles and setting the red, white and blue flags aflutter throughout the arena. But it took a matter of seconds for those cheers to die on Russian lips as Germany tied it up on the next shift when Frank Mauer’s feed found Dominik Kahun in space in front of the net and the 22-year-old smashed home his chance. Russia’s lead lasted just 10 seconds; the underdog had bitten once again.
Suddenly, the balance of play tilted. Brooks Macek, scorer of Germany’s opening goal against Canada, got an odd man rush and opted to shoot himself; Koshechkin made the save. Then, disaster. German defenseman Frank Hordler broke down the left channel and sent the puck back to Yasin Ehliz at the point. He fed Jonas Muller, who deked past a sprawling Pavel Datsyuk and squeezed a low shot through Koshechkin’s five-hole. Now, Germany just needed to hang on, and when Kalinin took a minor for tripping with 2:11 on the clock, it seemed that Russia’s wait for gold would have to go on. But then came Gusev, and another moment to cherish in the country’s illustrious Olympic history. It was an emotional moment for Ilya Kovalchuk, who was named as the tournament MVP. But that personal accolade was less significant than achieving a lifelong dream inspired by his late father.
“I’ve been working for this since I was five years old, since I started playing hockey,” he said. “It was my dad’s great dream for me, and it’s my own dream. This medal means so much to me, it’s dedicated to my dad.”
And Datsyuk, who becomes the seventh Russian player to join the elite ‘Triple Gold Club’ of Olympic, World and Stanley Cup champions, reflected on achieving a lifetime ambition of his own at the age of 39.
“I’ve not even thought about the Triple Gold Club yet,” the SKA legend said. “But when it sinks in, I guess I’ll need a new dream to shoot for because all my dreams have come true.”
Head coach Oleg Znarok was more talkative than usual after the game. “I think that winning gold at these Olympics has answered all your questions,” he said at the post-game press conference. “That was the most important game of my life. Maybe I looked calm, but that was just a mask. I was really worried, but tried not to let the players see it.
“It’s hard to say how we made that call at the end. We had a few seconds, and we had to get it right. Luckily, we made the right choice and everything worked out.”
Russia’s roster, drawn entirely from SKA, CSKA and Metallurg, became the first in the KHL era to win Olympic medals. Moreover, the Russian players were the first active KHLers to do better than bronze at an Olympic Games, after Finland (twice) and Canada claimed bronze.
Russia Preview
With the exception of Metallurg pair Vasily Koshechkin and Sergei Mozyakin, all of Oleg Znarok's roster is made up of players from the army teams of Petersburg or Moscow.
Goaltenders: Magnitogorsk's giant goalie certainly justified his inclusion with some smart saves against the Slovaks,thereby preventing a shock defeat from turning into a catastrophe, and while he will want to swiftly forget allowing the puck through his legs for Slovakia's opening goal, he can hold his head high after the opening day's disappointment. If, for whatever reason, Vasily needs replacing, then Znarok has two superb youngsters to call on, so if the coach wants to think about silver linings before turning in for the night, a glance at his goaltender line-up will suffice.
Defensemen:
Artyom Zub, Yegor Yakovlev, Vladislav Gavrikov, Vyacheslav Voynov, Andrei Zubarev (all SKA), Alexei Marchenko, Bogdan Kiselevich, Nikita Nesterov (all CSKA); Gavrikov – Voynov, Nesterov – Marchenko, Zubarev – Zub, Kiselevich.
The logic behind building a defense around a nucleus of two teams is clear enough, but many were surprised that Nikita Tryamkin of Avtomobilist did not make the cut, particularly after Dinar Khafizullin had to withdraw through injury (his place went to fellow Petersburg Army Man Yegor Yakovlev). The rearguard is certainly not lacking in talent, and yet Slovakia could well have added to that tally of three goals, and might have even doubled it were it not for Koshechkin's alertness. It all started well, with Voynov combining with Shirokov to set up Gavrikov to score an all-SKA goal, and when Kaprizov doubled the lead inside the first five minutes, it seemed the intrigue would be limited to how many Russia would score.
After the game, head coach Oleg Znarok was admirably gallant, saying, “Any mistakes that we made are my responsibility,” and Gavrikov was in stoic and upbeat mood, reminding those with long faces that two wins will still see Russia through. The coach has proved many times in his career that he can instill a high level of discipline in a team, and the defensive lapses must be ironed out in time to face the Slovenes on Friday if the Russians are to avoid being home before the postcards.
Forwards:
Ivan Telegin, Sergei Andronov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Kirill Kaprizov (all CSKA), Sergei Mozyakin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Kalinin, Ilya Kablukov, Sergei Shirokov, Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikolai Prokhorkin, Vadim Shipachyov, Alexander Barabanov, Nikita Gusev (all SKA).
Kovalchuk - Datsyuk - Mozyakin, Gusev - Shipachyov - Kaprizov, Shirokov - Prokhorkin - Barabanov, Telegin – Andronov - Kalinin, Grigorenko As many predicted, Znarok's starting line had Mozyakin with Kovalchuk and Datsyuk, but for most of the game, and regardless of which offensive troika was on the ice, the team showed a tendency toward over-elaboration. Datsyuk, who saw his shot agonisingly strike the post, was not in denial, and underlined the need to concentrate on the basics and do the simple things right. Kovalchuk paid tribute to Slovakia goalie Branislav Konrad and reminded all that Russia had created more chances than their opponents.
Russia at the Olympics: 26 years without gold
After the fall of the Soviet Union, a Russian team has won Olympic gold only once, and that was under the Unified Team banner back in 1992. The previous two tournaments were especially disappointing, with quarter-final elimination in 2010 and again at Sochi in 2014. Kovalchuk and Gavrikov's optimism is based on common sense - sometimes forwards misfire, defensemen switch off, and opposing goalies play out of their skins, and Znarok has enough time and talent to put things right. Slovenia will be brimming with confidence after conquering the USA, so Friday's meeting will certainly be a memorable match – for one reason or another.
Russia might be ‘Olympic Athletes from Russia’ here, the roster might be almost entirely different from 2014 in Sochi – but the opening period of action for Oleg Znarok’s team instantly evoked memories of how the Russians started on home ice four years ago. Unfortunately, happy reflections of a slick start in Sochi were followed by painful reminders of how Russia stuttered in its first game there. And worse was to follow: the recovery that sank Slovenia in 2014 never materialized; Slovakia made off with a shock 3-2 victory. Against Slovakia, a lightning start saw the team race into a 2-0 lead, just as it did against Slovenia four years earlier. Vladislav Gavrikov and Kirill Kaprizov got the goals this time, the latter after a video review confirmed his swat-down on a Nikita Gusev shot was good, and Russia seemed to be easing smoothly through the gears. There was even time for a crunching hit to liven proceedings, with Andrei Zubarev taking the chance to introduce Martin Bakos to the Russian bench after bundling the Slovak forward over the boards. But, just as in Sochi, the team seemed to slow. The chances dried up, and gradually the opposition came back into contention. Indeed, Slovakia’s response was quicker than Slovenia’s had been. Peter Olvecky fired one through Vasily Koshechkin’s five-hole late in the first period, then Bakos, who played in the KHL with Kunlun Red Star last season, tied the game on a breakaway in the last minute. Slovakia had managed something of a mini escape – right back in a game that could have been all over in the opening exchanges.
Against Slovenia, Russia regained its composure to win 5-2; here, Russia began the second period on the power play and saw Pavel Datsyuk hit the post. But although Znarok’s team maintained the pressure, it struggled to really open up a Slovak ‘D’ that gained in composure after its early lapses. The calming influences of Tomas Starosta, a long-serving D-man with Neftekhimik, Salavat Yulaev, Ugra and Slovan, former Dynamo Moscow star Dominik Granak and one-time Spartak blue-liner Ivan Baranka did much to keep the Russian offense on the outside and leave goalie Branislav Konrad relatively unruffled. The game was beginning to drift in the third period when Slovakia sensationally took the lead. Marcel Hascak made little impact in his seasons with Dinamo Riga and Amur, but his feed for Peter Ceresnak’s slap shot set up a goal that stunned the Russians. Down 2-3, Znarok’s team was instantly energized – but time was running out. Slovakia killed one penalty, with Patrik Lamper almost snatching a short-handed goal along the way. Ivan Telegin earned his team another PP chance, much to the disgust of Avtomobilist’s Michal Cajkovsky; Lamper again came as close as anyone as Slovakia held on again. And that was the last significant opportunity: the Russians stumbled at the first hurdle, denied by resolute Slovak defense.
QuotesIlya Kovalchuk (SKA) "We played badly but I’m sure we’ll get better. We need to make sure we learn the right lessons from this. In the other game, Slovenia beat the Americans, so we’ve been warned that this is a very even group. Anyone can beat anyone. We need to prepare carefully and do better on the power play. We didn’t ease off after the two early goals. We still created plenty of chances. Their goalie was great, and in the first period they only had four shots. We didn’t ease off, they were just better than us."
Pavel Datsyuk (SKA)
“We need to play a simpler game, and improve on our defense. We forgot about defending, and you saw how it unfolded. Our opponent converted its chances. We allowed some counter-attacks, and Slovakia managed to take its chances. Then we conceded a power play goal and they protected that advantage until the end.”
Vladislav Gavrikov (SKA)
“Nobody is starting to doubt. We just need to win the next two games. It’s not the end of the world. They had two counter-attacks and scored two goals. We had, what, five or six chances on the power play and didn’t score. That’s where the result came from.”
Dominik Granak (Hradec Kralove and Slovakia)
“We talked before the game about how if we played Russia 10 times, Russia would win most of them. But we also knew that in a one-off game, you always have a chance. At the start, maybe we were a little bit nervous – we knew how many star players they had. But after we scored, we started to believe. Then we played much better. The Russians had better chances, they had more of the puck, but our PK was did a great job. Our goalie was amazing, and we blocked so many shots in front of him.”
Oleg Znarok (Head coach, Russia)
“We lost the game. Everything is clear. Any mistakes that we made are my responsibility. I’m not going to point the finger at the players, or any individuals, for errors. This is my team.”
Mursak stuns USA
Former CSKA forward Jan Mursak produced a captain’s performance to rescue Slovenia from 0-2 down and snatch a 3-2 victory in overtime. Mursak scored twice, including the game-winner, to complete a night of shock results in Korea. For two periods, it looked like a good night for the Jokerit connection on the USA roster. Brian O’Neill scored his team’s opener in the first period, then assisted as Boston University’s Jordan Greenway doubled the lead in the second. Goalie Ryan Zapolski and D-man Matt Gilroy looked comfortable against the Slovenian offense, and the game looked destined for a predictable conclusion. But Jan Urbas got Slovenia back in contention, and Mursak delivered the coup-de-grace. He tied it up on 58:23, whacking home the rebound from a point shot. Then he beat Zapolski again off a feed from Rok Ticar, another member of Slovenia’s KHL contingent, to snatch a dramatic win for the underdog.
Feb 16 - Game 2 - Slovenia Won 8-2
Ilya Kovalchuk matched the great Pavel Bure, Kirill Kaprizov got a hat-trick and Sergei Mozyakin scored his first Olympic goal at the age of 36 as the Russians roared back to form against Slovenia.
Oleg Znarok’s men powered to an 8-2 victory over the Slovenes in a game studded with landmark moments, and the performance went a long way towards banishing memories of Wednesday’s disappointment against Slovakia.
Kovalchuk, who joins Bure on 11 Olympic goals, was thrilled with his landmark. “Pasha is one of the greatest forwards our country has produced, and I know he still cares about our national team,” he said. “We all read the interview he gave after the Slovakia game, and I’d like to thank him for his support.”
He also enjoyed the rest of an impressive Russian performance as the team answered some of its critics from Wednesday. “We scored lots of goals and saw several lines getting involved in the scoring,” he said. “But the most satisfying thing was the power play.
“In the first game we played the way we should, but only for five minutes. Here, we played like we should for the full 60 minutes.”
Kovalchuk wasn’t the only player to achieve a personal landmark. Sergei Mozyakin finally added an Olympic goal to his distinguished CV – and at the age of 36 he is surely the oldest Olympic rookie to score for a Russian or Soviet team at the Games. Even back in 1956, when the USSR sent its first ever hockey team to the Olympics, the oldest player, Ivan Tregubov, had only just past his 36th birthday; Mozyakin will be 37 next month.
Kirill Kaprizov claimed a hat-trick, setting up a possible scoring duel between two KHL youngsters here in Korea. He could find himself duking it out with Eeli Tolvanen for the top scorer of the Olympics, but today he was content to let his team-mates take the credit. “It was all down to my partners,” he said. “They did everything for me tonight.”
Alexander Barabanov and Ilya Kablukov rounded off the Russian scoring; Jan Mursak and Ziga Pance replied for the beleaguered Slovenes.
Finnish connection helps USA goalie Jokerit has three players on the American roster – compared with just two on Finland’s – and that’s a big boost for goalie Ryan Zapolski. The 30-year-old is enjoying his trip to Korea with Helsinki colleagues Matt Gilroy and Brian O’Neill – two men with whom he’s built up a close friendship in Finland.
“I think any time you’re on a foreign team, the imports kinda gravitate towards one another,” he said. “We all live in the same apartment building, so we hang out a lot. We’re really close. And, of course, it’s nice to come to a team like this and find some guys you’re close with.”
As well as a successful season on the ice, Helsinki has plenty of other attractions for its expat athletes – and Zapolski and his countrymen are enjoying their time in Finland. “There’s a lot of really nice places in Helsinki, so we get to go to them a lot,” he said. “We have a favorite restaurant, a place called ‘Pasta’, and we go there all the time! They’ve gotten to know us pretty well now, so they look after us.”
On the ice, team USA has one win against Slovakia and an overtime loss to Slovenia ahead of Saturday’s Group B showdown with the Olympic Athletes from Russia. Despite the wider significance of the Trans-Atlantic match-up, Zapolski isn’t expecting anything more than a tough hockey game.
“I’m used to playing the Russians all the time in the KHL, so it’s not going to be weird for me,” he said. “I don’t think anybody is going to be overtaken by the moment. We’re doing the same as we’ve done our whole lives.”
Feb 17 - Game 3 - USA Won 4-0The latest instalment of the big Trans-Atlantic rivalry ended in a comfortable victory for Oleg Znarok’s Russian team. A 4-0 scoreline reflected the superiority the Olympic Athletes from Russia all over the ice on a night when Ilya Kovalchuk became Russia’s all-time leading scorer in Olympic play.
Kovi scored twice, taking his career Olympic tally to 13, out in front of Pavel Bure’s tally of 11. He also went to the top of the 2018 Olympic scoring charts. More importantly, the win took Russia to top spot in Group B, granting the team a bye to the quarter-final stage. That should ensure the team avoids one of the big guns at the start of its knock-out campaign.
Nikolai Prokhorkin also scored twice, bouncing back from a disappointing ‘-2’ ranking in the Slovenia game. He insisted that he wasn’t left fearing for his place. “I didn’t worry that I’d be out the team, I knew I just needed to go out and play,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t pay attention to anything that they were writing about the game.”
Kovalchuk is now hoping that Russia has changed the script after its Olympic shoot-out defeat to the USA four years ago. Answering a question from a Canadian journalist, he said: “I think, after that game in Sochi, people are still shouting about TJ Oshie’s goals in the shoot-out. Hopefully, now you’ll stop doing that.” And Znarok was satisfied with his team’s effort, and pleased with the result. “We overcame the Americans in all areas of the game,” he said. “We beat them tactically, and in everything.”
“I do not know what was going on today,” the Metallurg forward said. “The puck seemed to be bouncing a lot. A couple of times it went high in the air and there were two or three bounces over sticks. We have to find a way to get those pucks and make sure we bring it down."
The other Group A game, between Korea and Switzerland, saw former Neftekhimik goalie Matt Dalton suffer a rough evening in the Korean net. He gave up five goals to a lively Swiss offense before he was replaced by Sungje Park. Switzerland eventually won it 8-0.
In the other Group B game, Ziga Jeglic got a shoot-out winner in Slovenia’s success over Slovakia. The result gave Slovenia a surprising second place in the group, but its four-point haul won’t be enough to secure a QF spot as best runner-up.
Nikolai Prokhorkin also scored twice, bouncing back from a disappointing ‘-2’ ranking in the Slovenia game. He insisted that he wasn’t left fearing for his place. “I didn’t worry that I’d be out the team, I knew I just needed to go out and play,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t pay attention to anything that they were writing about the game.”
Kovalchuk is now hoping that Russia has changed the script after its Olympic shoot-out defeat to the USA four years ago. Answering a question from a Canadian journalist, he said: “I think, after that game in Sochi, people are still shouting about TJ Oshie’s goals in the shoot-out. Hopefully, now you’ll stop doing that.” And Znarok was satisfied with his team’s effort, and pleased with the result. “We overcame the Americans in all areas of the game,” he said. “We beat them tactically, and in everything.”
Kovar shoots down Canada
Metallurg forward Jan Kovar got the Czech’s shoot-out winner after a 2-2 tie with Canada in Group A. There was also a goal during the game for Michal Jordan of Amur, while Traktor’s Pavel Francouz collected his second win of the games after denying everyone except Wojtek Wolski in that shoot-out. Jordan, whose goal tied the game at 2-2 in the second period, isn’t noted for his scoring. But the Amur defenseman aimed high, picked his spot and beat Ben Scrivens. Canada’s best chance to win it came in overtime, when CSKA’s Mat Robinson got clean through on Francouz’s goal but couldn’t get a clean shot away. His frustration with the uneven bounces that cropped up throughout the game was shared by Wolski. “I do not know what was going on today,” the Metallurg forward said. “The puck seemed to be bouncing a lot. A couple of times it went high in the air and there were two or three bounces over sticks. We have to find a way to get those pucks and make sure we bring it down."
The other Group A game, between Korea and Switzerland, saw former Neftekhimik goalie Matt Dalton suffer a rough evening in the Korean net. He gave up five goals to a lively Swiss offense before he was replaced by Sungje Park. Switzerland eventually won it 8-0.
In the other Group B game, Ziga Jeglic got a shoot-out winner in Slovenia’s success over Slovakia. The result gave Slovenia a surprising second place in the group, but its four-point haul won’t be enough to secure a QF spot as best runner-up.
What’s next? Oleg Znarok’s team goes straight to the quarter-finals and can rest up until Wednesday, when it faces the winner of Tuesday’s qualification game between Norway and Slovenia. Success there would bring a potential semi-final against the Czechs, who will face Slovakia or the USA in the last eight.
Canada cannot meet the Olympic Athletes from Russia until the medal games:
Before all that, Russia’s women go against Canada in Monday’s semi-final game. Whatever the outcome, Alexei Chistyakov’s team will have a chance to claim a first-ever women’s hockey Olympic medal here in PyeongChang.
Before all that, Russia’s women go against Canada in Monday’s semi-final game. Whatever the outcome, Alexei Chistyakov’s team will have a chance to claim a first-ever women’s hockey Olympic medal here in PyeongChang.
Quarter Finals Russia rolls past Norway
Russia’s in-form team had little difficulty in dispatching Norway and advancing to its first Olympic semi-final since 2006. However, a convincing 6-1 margin was not enough to persuade the Russian players that the team was reaching its peak form.
“We completely lost our way in the second period,” said defenceman Nikita Nesterov, finding faults despite getting his first goal of the Games. “We stepped back and we need to be better. We turned over the puck too often in centre ice, and we made stupid decisions.”
Three first period goals – Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Gusev and Vyacheslav Voynov finding the target – set the tone for a comfortable victory over a Norwegian team that never threatened to be competitive. The Russians were so dominant that they scored more goals than they allowed shots on Vasily Koshechkin’s net in the first period.
Nikita Nesterov, Nikita Gusev, Kirill Kaprizov
Norway got a goal back at the in the second period when Alexander Bonsaksen – whose overtime winner against Slovenia sent his team into this game – shot past an unsighted Koshechkin after the Olimb brothers combined. But Bonsaksen quickly found himself in the penalty box and Russia converted the power play when Ilya Kovalchuk fed Sergei Kalinin on the doorstep to make it 4-1. And the Norwegian’s afternoon didn’t much improve: he cancelled out his own goal when he inadvertently diverted a Nesterov pass into his own net. As Siouxie Sioux rang out around the arena, Norway’s hopes lay in dust. The final frame saw Ivan Telegin add a sixth goal.
Russian coach Oleg Znarok was in typically waspish mood after the game. “Why should I look happy now? Was that the final?” he asked. “If we beat the Norwegians, is that it?”
The win sends Znarok’s men into a semi-final match-up against the Czech Republic as the team closes on a first Olympic medal since 2002’s bronze in Salt Lake City.
Vyacheslav Voynov, Mats Rosseli Olsen
Semi Finals - Czech Republic Won 3-0
Russia’s Olympic medal drought is over – and all that remains is to discover whether Oleg Znarok’s team will win gold or silver in Sunday’s final against Germany. February 23 is Defenders of the Fatherland day in Russia, and goalie Vasily Koshechkin provided a sterling defense of his net. The Metallurg man made 31 saves to frustrate the Czech offense and secure a 3-0 victory for the Olympic Athletes of Russia.
A cagey game hinged on a quickfire two-goal salvo in the second period, with Nikita Gusev and Vladislav Gavrikov scoring to lift the Russians through to the Grand Final. Ilya Kovalchuk added an empty net goal to wrap up the victory. Having assured the country of its first hockey medal since bronze in Salt Lake in 2002, Russia now has the chance to claim its first gold since the Unified Team of former Soviet nations took the prize in 1992.
The decisive passage of play came in the middle frame. The Czechs had stuck to their game plan of trying to frustrate the Russians, but in the 28th minute Pavel Datsyuk unpicked the locks on Pavel Francouz’s net. His vision picked out Nikita Gusev, unmarked at the back door. Gusev took one touch to set himself, then another to lift the puck over the Traktor goalie’s shoulder. Czech coach Josef Jandac appealed for goalie interference, but Kirill Kaprizov’s presence in the Czech crease was due to a shove from Vojtech Mozik and the goal stood.
Datsyuk shrugged off the praise for his assist: “It’s forgotten already. We need to get ready for the final.” Gavrikov, meanwhile, was never worried when the play went to a review. “I could see that the defenseman pushed him in there,” he said.
Having got in front, Russia doubled its lead within 30 seconds. The Czech offense coughed up the puck in the Russian end, Mikhail Grigorenko fed Ivan Telegin and the CSKA forward charged down the ice before picking out Gavrikov for a routine finish after he advanced from his usual defensive role.
“When I broke forward with Telegin, the main thing was that we got the goal,” the SKA D-man said. “Right now, it doesn't matter who puts the puck in the net. My legs took me there and, of course, you'd expect a dish like that from Ivan.”
The Czechs looked to hit back, and had a great chance on the power play. But Martin Ruzicka, once of Amur and Traktor, fired wide on three occasions as shooting lanes opened up for him and Russia held on. From the other end of the ice, Pavel Francouz summed up the problems of beating Koshechkin. “I think we needed to get more players in front of Koshechkin,” he said. “He's a big goalie, and you have to take his eyes away from him. We had a lot of shots form the blue line, but no one was in front of him.”
In the final frame, Koshechkin made two big pad saves to deny Petr Koukal as the Czechs found themselves unable to get a bounce around the net. With the Russian D battling away and doing the ugly jobs – blocking shots, chasing rebounds – there was simply no way through for Josef Jandac’s team. Kovalchuk’s empty-netter wrapped up the show, moving him to third place in the Olympic scoring race behind Eeli Tolvanen and Nikita Gusev.
After the game, Russia’s players were business-like in their dealings with the media. As Datsyuk said: “If you ask me fewer questions, I’ll have more time to prepare for the final.”
Germany stuns Canada
“Miracles do happen!” Just ask Marcus Kink, German defenseman, after his team’s sensational 4-3 victory over defending Olympic champion Canada.
Nobody believed the Germans could make an impact at these Games – but the Cinderella story is going all the way to the ball.
It started in Riga, Lativa, in the final qualifying group. “That was a helluva a tournament, we had a really close game and a last-minute win for us in a crazy atmosphere there. That’s how we got here, we wanted to enjoy it and play our best hockey.”
“We put ourselves in too big of a hole. We had 15-1 in shots in the third period but it still wasn’t enough.”
Canada’s bid for a third successive gold came to an ignominious end; the expected dream Russia-Canada final was denied. But for Germany, now guaranteed its first Olympic medal since bronze in 1976, this was a night to savor. Head coach Marcus Sturm said he felt “blessed” as his team keeps on daring to dream.
Bronze Medal MatchIt wasn’t the medal they came for, but a Canadian roster featuring 13 active KHL players rounded out its Olympic campaign with a 6-3 victory over the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game.
Canada rolled to a 3-1first period after a scoring flurry that brought three goals in 31 seconds midway through the frame. First, Andrew Ebbett gave the Canadians a power play lead, but Martin Ruzicka tied the scores almost immediately for the Czechs. Nothing daunted, Canada restored its advantage thanks to Chris Kelly. A further tally from Derek Roy late in the session gave Willie Desjardins’ team a more comfortable cushion as it looked to prove a point following Friday night’s semi-final humbling against Germany.
“If this is the last thing I win, I can retire a happy man,” said Metallurg defenseman Chris Lee, as he proudly clutched his Olympic medal. “A lot of what we talked about before this game was past performances by Canadian teams and the history we have of maybe not showing up for the bronze because it’s always been gold or nothing.
The Canadian KHL roll of honour is as follows: Ben Scrivens (Salavat Yulaev), Chris Lee, Wojtek Wolski (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), Mat Robinson (CSKA), Eric O’Dell (Sochi), Chay Genoway (Lada), Brandon Kozun (Lokomotiv), Marc-Andre Gragnani, Quinton Howden (Dinamo Minsk), Karl Stollery (Dinamo Riga), Rob Klinkhammer (Ak Bars), Linden Vey (Barys), Gilbert Brule (Kunlun Red Star). They become the first KHL players to win an Olympic medal from a nation other than Finland, which took bronze in 2010 and 2014.
Russians ready for gold medal test
Tomorrow sees the gold medal game between the Olympic Athletes from Russia and the surprise package from Germany. Despite facing an opponent expected to make little impact in Korea, the Russian players are taking nothing for granted against a team that has already defeated Sweden and Canada on its way to a first ever Olympic hockey final.
CSKA defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich, who spoke of his disappointment after watching Russia’s last Olympic final end in defeat to the Czechs in Nagano when he was a child, insisted that nobody would take Germany lightly tomorrow.
“We can’t say that it’s a joke to play Germany in the final,” he insisted. “That team defeated Sweden and Canada on its own merits, so this is a serious opponent.
“They’re a really mobile, disciplined team,” he said. “They defend well, they don’t allow counter-
mattacks. Look at the first half of their game against Canada, there was barely a meaningful look at the net for the Canadians.”
As for the Germans, they are lapping up a glorious campaign that ensures they will get a hero’s welcome back home regardless of the outcome in the gold medal game.
Former Admiral forward Felix Schutz felt Germany’s success was down to more than luck. “We might have been a little lucky in games but we’ve always worked hard,” he said. “That was our goal. But this tournament we showed that we can play. We have a good system. We play hockey with confidence. We were leading Canada 4-1 after two periods. We could have scored a fifth on the power play. That shows were in the game for sure.”
And Lee, part of the Canadian team that lost against Germany, had some encouragement for his Metallurg colleagues Vasily Koshechkin and Sergei Mozyakin.
“Leave it all out there,” he said. “You don’t want any regrets, especially in a gold medal game. The Germans are tough, they’re going to battle, they played their butts off against us yesterday. I hope the Russians don’t take them lightly, if they get into their game plan right away they’re going to be pretty happy in the end.”
Russia’s in-form team had little difficulty in dispatching Norway and advancing to its first Olympic semi-final since 2006. However, a convincing 6-1 margin was not enough to persuade the Russian players that the team was reaching its peak form.
“We completely lost our way in the second period,” said defenceman Nikita Nesterov, finding faults despite getting his first goal of the Games. “We stepped back and we need to be better. We turned over the puck too often in centre ice, and we made stupid decisions.”
Three first period goals – Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Gusev and Vyacheslav Voynov finding the target – set the tone for a comfortable victory over a Norwegian team that never threatened to be competitive. The Russians were so dominant that they scored more goals than they allowed shots on Vasily Koshechkin’s net in the first period.
Nikita Nesterov, Nikita Gusev, Kirill Kaprizov
Norway got a goal back at the in the second period when Alexander Bonsaksen – whose overtime winner against Slovenia sent his team into this game – shot past an unsighted Koshechkin after the Olimb brothers combined. But Bonsaksen quickly found himself in the penalty box and Russia converted the power play when Ilya Kovalchuk fed Sergei Kalinin on the doorstep to make it 4-1. And the Norwegian’s afternoon didn’t much improve: he cancelled out his own goal when he inadvertently diverted a Nesterov pass into his own net. As Siouxie Sioux rang out around the arena, Norway’s hopes lay in dust. The final frame saw Ivan Telegin add a sixth goal.
Russian coach Oleg Znarok was in typically waspish mood after the game. “Why should I look happy now? Was that the final?” he asked. “If we beat the Norwegians, is that it?”
The win sends Znarok’s men into a semi-final match-up against the Czech Republic as the team closes on a first Olympic medal since 2002’s bronze in Salt Lake City.
Vyacheslav Voynov, Mats Rosseli Olsen
Semi Finals - Czech Republic Won 3-0
Russia’s Olympic medal drought is over – and all that remains is to discover whether Oleg Znarok’s team will win gold or silver in Sunday’s final against Germany. February 23 is Defenders of the Fatherland day in Russia, and goalie Vasily Koshechkin provided a sterling defense of his net. The Metallurg man made 31 saves to frustrate the Czech offense and secure a 3-0 victory for the Olympic Athletes of Russia.
A cagey game hinged on a quickfire two-goal salvo in the second period, with Nikita Gusev and Vladislav Gavrikov scoring to lift the Russians through to the Grand Final. Ilya Kovalchuk added an empty net goal to wrap up the victory. Having assured the country of its first hockey medal since bronze in Salt Lake in 2002, Russia now has the chance to claim its first gold since the Unified Team of former Soviet nations took the prize in 1992.
The decisive passage of play came in the middle frame. The Czechs had stuck to their game plan of trying to frustrate the Russians, but in the 28th minute Pavel Datsyuk unpicked the locks on Pavel Francouz’s net. His vision picked out Nikita Gusev, unmarked at the back door. Gusev took one touch to set himself, then another to lift the puck over the Traktor goalie’s shoulder. Czech coach Josef Jandac appealed for goalie interference, but Kirill Kaprizov’s presence in the Czech crease was due to a shove from Vojtech Mozik and the goal stood.
Datsyuk shrugged off the praise for his assist: “It’s forgotten already. We need to get ready for the final.” Gavrikov, meanwhile, was never worried when the play went to a review. “I could see that the defenseman pushed him in there,” he said.
Ivan Telegin, Petr Koukal.
Having got in front, Russia doubled its lead within 30 seconds. The Czech offense coughed up the puck in the Russian end, Mikhail Grigorenko fed Ivan Telegin and the CSKA forward charged down the ice before picking out Gavrikov for a routine finish after he advanced from his usual defensive role.
“When I broke forward with Telegin, the main thing was that we got the goal,” the SKA D-man said. “Right now, it doesn't matter who puts the puck in the net. My legs took me there and, of course, you'd expect a dish like that from Ivan.”
The Czechs looked to hit back, and had a great chance on the power play. But Martin Ruzicka, once of Amur and Traktor, fired wide on three occasions as shooting lanes opened up for him and Russia held on. From the other end of the ice, Pavel Francouz summed up the problems of beating Koshechkin. “I think we needed to get more players in front of Koshechkin,” he said. “He's a big goalie, and you have to take his eyes away from him. We had a lot of shots form the blue line, but no one was in front of him.”
In the final frame, Koshechkin made two big pad saves to deny Petr Koukal as the Czechs found themselves unable to get a bounce around the net. With the Russian D battling away and doing the ugly jobs – blocking shots, chasing rebounds – there was simply no way through for Josef Jandac’s team. Kovalchuk’s empty-netter wrapped up the show, moving him to third place in the Olympic scoring race behind Eeli Tolvanen and Nikita Gusev.
After the game, Russia’s players were business-like in their dealings with the media. As Datsyuk said: “If you ask me fewer questions, I’ll have more time to prepare for the final.”
Kirill Kaprizov, Vojtech Mozik.
Germany stuns Canada
“Miracles do happen!” Just ask Marcus Kink, German defenseman, after his team’s sensational 4-3 victory over defending Olympic champion Canada.
Nobody believed the Germans could make an impact at these Games – but the Cinderella story is going all the way to the ball.
It started in Riga, Lativa, in the final qualifying group. “That was a helluva a tournament, we had a really close game and a last-minute win for us in a crazy atmosphere there. That’s how we got here, we wanted to enjoy it and play our best hockey.”
Against Canada, they did just that. Backstopped by Danny aus den Birken and throwing everything on the line on defense, the Germans were good value for their win. They started by shutting Canada down in the first, then capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play to take the lead when Brooks Macek shot past Kevin Poulin, starting goalie ahead of the injured Ben Scrivens. But it was the middle frame that saw the game disappear from Canada’s reach. Matthias Plachta doubled the lead, then Frank Mauer produced an audacious close-range finish to make it 3-0. Kunlun Red Star’s Gilbert Brule got one back for Canada on the power play, and it felt like the dream may yet end too soon. But when Patrick Hager smashed home a one-timer to make it 4-1, and Brule was ejected from the game for a high hit, the task ahead of the Canadians was just too great.
They tried. Mat Robinson (CSKA) got an early goal in the third, Poulin saved a penalty shot from Dominik Kahun to keep his team in contention and Derek Roy, ex Avangard and Traktor, got the bounce when he drove the puck in off a German skate … but it wasn’t enough.
“The first period wasn’t our game, that’s not how we play,” said a disappointed Robinson. “It was only 1-0, we should have been able to regroup there but we took lots of penalties in the second, that didn’t help our cause on the comeback. “We put ourselves in too big of a hole. We had 15-1 in shots in the third period but it still wasn’t enough.”
Canada’s bid for a third successive gold came to an ignominious end; the expected dream Russia-Canada final was denied. But for Germany, now guaranteed its first Olympic medal since bronze in 1976, this was a night to savor. Head coach Marcus Sturm said he felt “blessed” as his team keeps on daring to dream.
Bronze Medal MatchIt wasn’t the medal they came for, but a Canadian roster featuring 13 active KHL players rounded out its Olympic campaign with a 6-3 victory over the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game.
Canada rolled to a 3-1first period after a scoring flurry that brought three goals in 31 seconds midway through the frame. First, Andrew Ebbett gave the Canadians a power play lead, but Martin Ruzicka tied the scores almost immediately for the Czechs. Nothing daunted, Canada restored its advantage thanks to Chris Kelly. A further tally from Derek Roy late in the session gave Willie Desjardins’ team a more comfortable cushion as it looked to prove a point following Friday night’s semi-final humbling against Germany.
“If this is the last thing I win, I can retire a happy man,” said Metallurg defenseman Chris Lee, as he proudly clutched his Olympic medal. “A lot of what we talked about before this game was past performances by Canadian teams and the history we have of maybe not showing up for the bronze because it’s always been gold or nothing.
“It’s unfortunate that we looked at that as motivation but you gotta find something to pump you up. I don’t know what the guys thought about last night, it’s tough to get over a loss like that, but everyone came out ready today and we set ourselves up pretty well.”
After a scoreless middle period, Ebbett got his second of the game when he deflected a Brandon Kozun pass beyond Pavel Francouz to make it 4-1. For Loko’s Kozun, it was a second assist of the game. But it was a matter of seconds before Jan Kovar pulled one back for the Czechs as they converted a power play to keep the game alive. However, once Kelly got his second of the game, assisted by Rob Klinkhammer, the Czechs’ hope were over and Canada could at least claim a bronze medal after its golden run came to an end. And when Martin Erat had a goal chalked off following a coach’s challenge, it was clear that the Czech campaign was done.
Wojtek Wolski added a sixth, assisted by Quinton Howden, as the Canadians finished off a difficult campaign in some style. There was still time for Roman Cervenka to get on the scoresheet, with the former SKA man swatting home a looping puck after Jakub Nakladal’s shot looped off goalie Kevin Poulin and making it 4-6 as the Czechs threw on an extra attacker late in the game.
But, as Cervenka acknowledged, it was too little, too late. “For us a bronze is great motivation, almost like a gold for some teams,” he said. “We tried to be ready and fight from the start but, like I said, our first period was terrible. We gave them many chances and they scored on us.” The Canadian KHL roll of honour is as follows: Ben Scrivens (Salavat Yulaev), Chris Lee, Wojtek Wolski (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), Mat Robinson (CSKA), Eric O’Dell (Sochi), Chay Genoway (Lada), Brandon Kozun (Lokomotiv), Marc-Andre Gragnani, Quinton Howden (Dinamo Minsk), Karl Stollery (Dinamo Riga), Rob Klinkhammer (Ak Bars), Linden Vey (Barys), Gilbert Brule (Kunlun Red Star). They become the first KHL players to win an Olympic medal from a nation other than Finland, which took bronze in 2010 and 2014.
Russians ready for gold medal test
Tomorrow sees the gold medal game between the Olympic Athletes from Russia and the surprise package from Germany. Despite facing an opponent expected to make little impact in Korea, the Russian players are taking nothing for granted against a team that has already defeated Sweden and Canada on its way to a first ever Olympic hockey final.
CSKA defenseman Bogdan Kiselevich, who spoke of his disappointment after watching Russia’s last Olympic final end in defeat to the Czechs in Nagano when he was a child, insisted that nobody would take Germany lightly tomorrow.
“We can’t say that it’s a joke to play Germany in the final,” he insisted. “That team defeated Sweden and Canada on its own merits, so this is a serious opponent.
“They’re a really mobile, disciplined team,” he said. “They defend well, they don’t allow counter-
mattacks. Look at the first half of their game against Canada, there was barely a meaningful look at the net for the Canadians.”
As for the Germans, they are lapping up a glorious campaign that ensures they will get a hero’s welcome back home regardless of the outcome in the gold medal game.
Former Admiral forward Felix Schutz felt Germany’s success was down to more than luck. “We might have been a little lucky in games but we’ve always worked hard,” he said. “That was our goal. But this tournament we showed that we can play. We have a good system. We play hockey with confidence. We were leading Canada 4-1 after two periods. We could have scored a fifth on the power play. That shows were in the game for sure.”
And Lee, part of the Canadian team that lost against Germany, had some encouragement for his Metallurg colleagues Vasily Koshechkin and Sergei Mozyakin.
“Leave it all out there,” he said. “You don’t want any regrets, especially in a gold medal game. The Germans are tough, they’re going to battle, they played their butts off against us yesterday. I hope the Russians don’t take them lightly, if they get into their game plan right away they’re going to be pretty happy in the end.”
Russia Team practice. Bogdan Kiselevich.
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