Traktor Chelyabinsk Defeats Sibir Novosibirsk on the Road
The match between Sibir and Traktor, held on January 31 in Novosibirsk, ended with a 3:1 victory for the Chelyabinsk team. Before the game, the teams held neighboring positions in the Eastern Conference standings, with a difference of only one point. Both teams took to the ice in special themed jerseys: the Novosibirsk team in an unusual color scheme, and the visitors in away jerseys with the names of their most loyal fans.
The course of the game can be described by the following events:
- 12th minute: Alexander Rykov opens the scoring, using a pass from Mikhail Grigorenko. Traktor leads 1:0.
- 14th minute: Mikhail Grigorenko scores himself, doubling the advantage. Assists are credited to Rykov and Maxim Dzhioshvili — 2:0.
- Middle of the second period: Maxim Dzhioshvili extends the score to 3:0, assisted by Grigory Dronov and Egor Korshkov.
- Second half of the second period: Sibir manages to respond with a goal. The puck is scored by Vyacheslav Leshchenko with assists from Mikhail Orlov and Egor Zaitsev — 3:1.
In the third period, Traktor had to fend off the hosts« attacks while shorthanded, where goalkeeper Sergei Mylnikov made several key saves. In the final minutes, Sibir pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, but it didn»t yield results. The Chelyabinsk team even sent the puck into the empty net, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside position.
Coaches« Comments After the Match
Head coach of Traktor, Evgeny Koreshkov, emphasized the importance of the victory: «For us, the match was very important. We completed a tough three-game series. This victory was needed. The guys did great. Everyone tried together, stood firm, endured to the end — and deservedly won.»
Sibir«s coach, Yaroslav Lyzenkov, commented on the team»s failure: «The first period… We lost our defensive zone, they pushed us a bit, as they say. And we conceded two goals. The power play didn»t work today. There were moments, we could have scored… If we had scored the second one, maybe there would have been enough time to equalize and push the game to overtime. But as it is — congratulations to the opponent on the victory, we«re preparing for the next game.»
Now, Traktor Chelyabinsk returns home, where on February 4 they will play against Kazan«s Ak Bars.
