2022 Nikolai Puchkov Tournament. SKA – Sibir

2022 Nikolai Puchkov Tournament. SKA – Sibir – 4:2

24 August 2022

In the second match of the 2022 Nikolai Puchkov Tournament, SKA produced another productive performance on the powerplay to defeat Sibir Novosibirsk 4:2 in an entertaining duel.

Sibir started with real energy. Displaying an aggressive, energetic approach, the Siberian visitors took the game to our team, testing Alexander Samonov in our net on a regular basis.

Anton Shenfeld came agonisingly close to an opener for Sibir midway through the first period. With the backhand, he took aim after slaloming beyond our defence with silky skills, but he could only smack the right post with Samonov beaten.

SKA opened the scoring with around three minutes remaining in the frame.

Alone at the blue line, Stepan Falkovsky was given enough time to pick his spot, and he sent a crashing slap shot past Sibir goaltender Anton Krasotkin.

Sibir didn’t let that phase them, though, equalising shorthanded in the sixth minute of the second stanza.

Clean through, Alexander Sharov carefully lifted the puck over Samonov’s left shoulder.

The Novosibirsk-based outfit went on to firmly take the initiative after that goal. Not long later, they took their first lead of the game while playing on the powerplay, as Vladimir Butuzov launched an unstoppable one-timer beyond Samonov from the left faceoff circle after our defenseman Andrei Pedan had been punished with a 2+2 penalty for roughing.

That goal did provoke a response from SKA. On the counter-attack, Danila Moiseev should have equalised when receiving an intelligent pass from the impressive 18-year-old Dmitry Buchelnikov, but he aimed his effort against the bar with the goal practically at his mercy.

Nevertheless, two late powerplays in the period allowed our team to regain control of proceedings.

Alexander Nikishin got SKA on level terms with a deflected wrister from the point, before Damir Zhafyarov calmly went top-shelf on Krasotkin from the doorstep.

Buoyed by those quickfire pair of goals, SKA continued competing on the front foot in the third period, practically putting the game to bed in the 47^th minute.

And it was the superb Buchelnikov who deservedly got his name on the scoreboard.

On the powerplay, Igor Ozhiganov intelligently picked out the unmarked teenager on the left faceoff circle, who caught Krasotkin cold with a snappy slap shot.

The remainder of the frame predictably saw Sibir lay siege to the SKA net. Thankfully for us, Samonov stood tall to the challenge, refusing to allow Sibir to close the gap.

In accordance with the competition regulations, a planned overtime period and penalty shootout took place, with the extra frame ending goalless and SKA emerging victorious by a score of 2:0 on penalties with Mikhail Vorobyov and Alex Grant scoring. Samonov saved all five of Sibir’s shootout attempts.

On Friday, at 15:00 local time, SKA will host Sochi at the Saint Petersburg Ice Palace.

Match protocol:

SKA – Sibir – 4:2 (1:0, 2:2, 1:0)

Goals:

1:0 Falkovsky (Vorobyov, Fyodorov), 16.27

1:1 Sharov (Pyanov, Krasotkin), 25.32 SHG

1:2 Butuzov (Beck, Solovyov), 28.51 PPG

2:2 Nikishin (Grant), 36.22 PPG

3:2 Zhafyarov (Khairullin, Ozhiganov), 37.50 PPG

4:2 Buchelnikov (Ozhiganov), 46.10 PPG

Goalkeepers: Samonov – Krasotkin

Shots: 70 - 55