Traktor - SKA - 2:1 OT

23 August 2016

SKA got their 2016/2017 KHL campaign underway with a match against HC Traktor in Chelyabinsk. No surprises were made by head coach Oleg Znarok, as Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Plotnikov and Ilya Kovalchuk were placed in the first line together. Mikko Koskinen and Vasily Demchenko were the match’s goalkeepers.

Our players begun with real adrenaline, and they had a number of goalscoring chances in the first few shifts. Traktor’s Vasily Demchenko was coming under early pressure, and both Vyacheslav Voynov and Vadim Shipachyov should have scored up close. Traktor were struggling, but completely against the run of play, they drew first blood. Paul Szczechura wristed through traffic, and the unsighted Mikko Koskinen was helpless. Nevertheless, despite that goal, SKA continued playing with the initiative, and Evgeny Dadonov missed two glorious opportunities clean through.

Unfortunately, SKA’s frustration grew in the second stanza, and Traktor were gifted with a five on three powerplay. Thankfully, Mikko Koskinen was on his game, and coupled with some committed defending, we managed to fend off that Traktor storm. As time rolled on, both teams were counterattacking with purpose, and after a Traktor mistake, we grabbed that all important equalising goal. Nikita Gusev found the open Evgeny Dadonov on the right, and the latter swept home from a tight angle. That opened the match up, and Mikko Koskinen kept SKA level after pulling off a massive blocker save against Alexei Kruchinin.

It was a tense affair in the third period, and both teams gave very little up. Every patch of ice was being fought for, and tempers began to rise on both sides. The tension inside the arena was high, and as overtime approached, a few half chances did appear by Traktor’s crease. Pavel Datsyuk threatened with some trademark skating, and Nikita Gusev’s line was always in the thick of things.

The extra frame couldn’t be escaped, and sadly, Traktor took the spoils. Kirill Koltsov shot unexpectedly on the right wing, and Mikko Koskinen was caught cold. 1:2 today, and SKA will now prepare to face HC Salavat Yulaev Ufa in Saint Petersburg.

Match protocol:

Traktor – SKA – 2:1 OT (1:0, 0:1, 0:0 – 1:0)

Goals:

1:0 Szczechura (Yakutsenya, Kruchinin), 06.10

1:1 Dadonov (Shipachyov, Gusev), 31.34

2:1 Koltsov (Petrov, Chernikov), 62.33

Goalkeepers: Demchenko – Koskinen

Shots on target: 28 – 33

Penalty minutes: 2 – 6

Faceoffs: 27 – 34

Hits: 3 – 3

Referees: Ravodin, Frane