Torpedo - SKA - 6:5 OT

22 December 2015

The KHL got back underway with SKA playing HC Torpedo away in Nizhny Novgorod. Newbies Pavel Buchnevich and Sergei Shirokov weren’t included in the team for this one, while Alexander Barabanov was slotted back into the third line with Jarno Koskiranta and Steve Moses. Mikko Koskinen was in our net, and his opposite number for Torpedo was Ilya Proskuryakov.

SKA knew that a win today could take them up to fourth in the Western Conference, and the players begun with purpose. It was a relentless pace right from the off, and both teams had big chances at either end. Vadim Shipachyov couldn’t make solid contact with an open net to aim at, and Mikko Koskinen made a couple of alert glove stops. A four minute Torpedo high sticking call gave SKA a golden opportunity to be the ones to make the breakthrough, and the players did just that. Andrei Kuteikin faked a shot, fed Evgeny Dadonov on the left faceoff circle, and the latter poked in. That was the ideal start, but minutes later a terrible mistake let Torpedo equalise shorthanded. Vyacheslav Kulyomin took up the puck on the counter, and on the left wing he beat Mikko Koskinen five hole. The home fans loved that, however they weren’t cheering for long. Evgeny Dadonov and Nikita Gusev combined brilliantly to set up Vadim Shipachyov on the doorstep, and Vadim swept home to restore SKA’s lead.

Just like in the first period it was a crazy start to the second, and with Evgeny Artyukhin in the penalty box two goals were scored. Firstly Evgeny Ketov outpaced the Torpedo to give SKA a two goal lead, and then seconds later Carter Ashton tipped in to bring Torpedo right back into things. That goal threatened to turn the tide, but SKA quickly took the wind out of their sails. Young forward Alexander Barabanov escaped Torpedo’s defencemen, and beautifully backhanded high into the right corner. That prompted Torpedo into pulling netminder Ilya Proskuryakov for Maxim Alyapkin, and that seemed to make a difference. Mikko Koskinen was being called into action more regularly, and he made a brilliant stick save by his right post off a Dmitry Syomin rebound. SKA opted to play mostly on the counterattack, and Steve Moses almost got a fifth. In space at the high slot Steve took aim, and with the goaltender helpless he wristed against the woodwork.

It was set up to be a tense third period, and that’s exactly how it worked out. Torpedo came out with all guns blazing, and scored two quick fire goals to level it up again. Firstly Daniil Ilin forced the puck over when fighting for it on the crease, and then Artyom Alyaev’s long range effort flew through Mikko Koskinen. Our team were up against it now, but with their backs against the wall SKA scored an highly important fifth goal. Torpedo coughed up the puck, Vadim Shipachyov had time to pick his spot between the circles, and he fired high over the goalkeeper’s blocker. That looked to have become the key moment, however with time running down the hosts found a reply. Our players lost control of possession in their own zone, and Alexei Sopin one timed home. Nikita Gusev could have given us all the three points in the final moments, but he failed to hit a completely open net from a fantastic position.

Overtime it was, and that earlier miss came back to haunt SKA. Mikko Koskinen took a penalty for chucking the puck out of play, and Dmitry Syomin stuffed in a rebound to give Torpedo the spoils. 5:6 today, and SKA take only one point away from Nizhny Novgorod.

Match protocol:

Torpedo – SKA – 6:5 OT (1:2, 1:2, 3:1 – 1:0)

Goals:

0:1 Dadonov (Kuteikin, Shipachyov). 06.33

1:1 Kulyomin (Syomin, Pepelyaev), 08.28

1:2 Shipachyov (Dadonov, Gusev)

1:3 Ketov, 27.45

2:3 Ashton (Pepelyaev, Mozer), 28.11

2:4 Barabanov, 29.45

3:4 Ilin (Konkov, Sopin), 44.50

4:4 Alyaev (Zherdev, Osipov), 45.48

4:5 Shipachyov, 50.26