SKA - Traktor

SKA - Traktor - 5:3

29 January 2017

Following a three match KHL road trip, SKA returned to Saint Petersburg for a home game with HC Traktor Chelyabinsk. Head coach Oleg Znarok was pleased to welcome Vadim Shipachyov back into the second line, while Arkhip Nekolenko kept his place in the fourth. Igor Shestyorkin and Vasily Demchenko were the starting netminders.

Inside a packed Ice Palace, Traktor made a strong start, preventing SKA from getting set in their zone. Igor Shestyorkin was the busier goalkeeper early on, doing well to kick a few hopeful wrist shots wide. However, their ill discipline allowed SKA to open the scoring – on the powerplay, Vadim Shipachyov brilliantly fired into the far left corner. Seconds later, with another Traktor player in the box, we doubled our money – Vasily Demchenko failed to hold a weak wrister, giving Nikita Gusev the simple task of hitting the empty net.

Holding a two-goal lead, SKA continued dominating in the second period. Under serious pressure, Traktor’s defence was beginning to struggle, failing to cope with SKA’s pressing. The visitors had Vasily Demchenko to thank, as the Traktor netminder pulled off several amazing point blank range stops. Sergei Shirokov, Vadim Shipachyov and Alexander Barabanov all had perfect chances to increase the advantage, but they were stoned by the goalkeeper. There was a feeling that the third goal was going to come though, and it arrived right at the end of the stanza – Yegor Rykov teed up Nikolai Prokhorkin on the left faceoff circle, who blasted a rocket top shelf.

SKA put the game to be bed at the start of the third, netting two more insurance markers – Nikolai Prokhorkin grabbed his second with a heavy one timer, before Evgeny Ketov forced the puck over the line on the doorstep. Nevertheless, even if all hope of victory had gone, Traktor refused to give up. Jiri Novotny ruined Igor Shestyorkin’s shutout, wristing over the glove. That was just the start of it – Kirill Koltsov and Artyom Penkovsky both scored beautiful goals, bringing Traktor back to within two.

Fortunately, some late Igor Shestyorkin heroics kept them at arm’s length. 5:3, SKA get back to winning ways in Saint Petersburg!

Match protocol:

SKA – Traktor – 5:3 (2:0, 1:0, 2:3)

Goals:

1:0 Shipachyov (Belov, Gusev), 14.14

2:0 Gusev (Dadonov, Belov), 16.11

3:0 Prokhorkin (Shirokov, Rykov), 39.37

4:0 Prokhorkin (Barabanov, Kovalchuk), 40.14

5:0 Ketov (Voynov, Kablukov), 42.18

5:1 Novotny (Gubarev, Koltsov), 47.58

5:2 Koltsov (Yakutsenya, Novotny), 53.33

5:3 Penkovsky (Koltsov, Sharov), 55.42