final
HC Yugra
1:4
(1:2, 0:1, 0:1)
Medvescak Zagreb
Alan Ilijic
Goals and assists:
5. Kruchinin (Gusev, Magogin) – 8. Ryan (Klubertanz, Brust), 15. Thomas (Murley), 37. Glumac (Nystrom), 55. Vesce (Ellison, Popovic)
Referees: Nalivaiko, Romasko – Putilin, Raming
Attendance: 4050
Penalty missed:
HC Yugra:
Kuznetsov (Kukin) – Dixon, Bulyansky, Melart, Smolenak, Starosta – Sokolov, Sitnikov, Khvostov, Zhukov, Knyazev – Dyakov, Magogin, Kruchinin, Shvidenko, Gusev – Tyulyapkin, Plotnikov, Lesnukhin, Yatsenko, Putilov
Subs:
Coach:
Medvescak Zagreb: Brust (Dekanich) – Popovic, Thomas, Cheechoo, Murley, Martinovic – Linglet, Svarny, Vesce, Foster, Ellison – Klubertanz, Glumac, Ryan, Letang, Iggulden – O'Connor, Nystrom, Walker, Murray, Bjorkstrand
Subs:
Coach:
Subs:
Coach:
Medvescak Zagreb: Brust (Dekanich) – Popovic, Thomas, Cheechoo, Murley, Martinovic – Linglet, Svarny, Vesce, Foster, Ellison – Klubertanz, Glumac, Ryan, Letang, Iggulden – O'Connor, Nystrom, Walker, Murray, Bjorkstrand
Subs:
Coach:
Referees: Nalivaiko, Romasko – Putilin, Raming
Attendance: 4050
Faceoffs: YUG 5 (21), MED 7 (37)
Penalties: YUG 0 (6), MED 4 (14)
Powerplay: YUG 1/7, MED 0/3
Ice leaders:
YUG – Tomas Starosta – 21:31
MED – Mark Popovic – 25:15.
After Brust deflected a shot from the slot, Medvescak won the battle at the boards for the puck, sent it down the ice and it was RYAN VESCE who took the puck just outside the slot to the left, went to the left edge and on the net, deking the goalie out and fliping it high just beneath the bar.
Assists: Matt Ellison, Mark Popovic.
Faceoffs: YUG 10 (16), MED 13 (30)
Penalties: YUG 2 (6), MED 4 (10)
Powerplay: YUG 1/4, MED 0/3
Ice leaders:
YUG – Evgeny Khvostov – 13:27
MED – Mark Popovic – 18:07.
Medvescak score with the pass from behind the net to the slot and MIKE GLUMAC beats Kuznetsov on sight before the crease.
Assist: Erik Nystrom.
Faceoffs: YUG 6, MED 17
Penalties: YUG 4, MED 6
Powerplay: YUG 1/3, MED 0/2
Ice leaders:
YUG – Evgeny Khvostov and Tomas Starosta – both 6:40
MED – Mark Popovic – 9:07.
Yugra play, Medvescak score! Another good offensive display creating the extra man on the break, Matt Murley entered the zone with the puck and it was BILL THOMAS on the other side to flip it in on the feed.
Assist: Matt Murley.
This is what hockey brings to you! Medvescak level the score through MICHAEL RYAN who breaks out from the left and skates towards the goal, no one seeming to try to cover him so he keeps his head cool and beats Kuznetsov with ease.
Assists: Kyle Klubertanz, Barry Brust.
Yugra take advantage of the 5-on-3 powerplay, ALEXEI KRUCHININ got the opener as he was left all alone in the slot just before the crease, got a fine pass from Nikita Gusev from the left post and deked Brust getting him out of balance.
Assists: Nikita Gusev, Igor Magogin.
HC Yugra: Kuznetsov (Kukin) – Dixon, Bulyansky, Melart, Smolenak, Starosta – Sokolov, Sitnikov, Khvostov, Zhukov, Knyazev – Dyakov, Magogin, Kruchinin, Shvidenko, Gusev – Tyulyapkin, Plotnikov, Lesnukhin, Yatsenko, Putilov
Medvescak Zagreb: Brust (Dekanich) – Popovic, Thomas, Cheechoo, Murley, Martinovic – Linglet, Svarny, Vesce, Foster, Ellison – Klubertanz, Glumac, Ryan, Letang, Iggulden – O'Connor, Nystrom, Walker, Murray, Bjorkstrand
Referees: Nalivaiko, Romasko – Putilin, Raming.
The game starts at 12:00 CET, 15:00 MSK and 06:00 EDT. Be sure not to miss it!
Barry Brust was in net for the home side, recording 95.8 SVS%, saving 23 of 24 shots. Alexei Kuznetsov let in two on 35 shots and had 94.3 SVS%. Medvescak did score a powerplay tally, they had 5 opportunities. Yugra went 0 for 7. They were also heavily outshot, 35-24 in favor of the Croatian newcomers to the KHL.
Medvescak tend to play a bit better on the road than at gome and they've won 3 of their last 5 games, but throughout the season they've struggled with consistency, so it wouldn't be a wonder that they play a slow, poor game. They won in Astana two days ago, and thus took a big leap towards clinching the playoff berth, but it's still a long way.
Medvescak is currently within range, placed 7th before Lokomotiv who is 6 points behind. Their record being 19-14-12 keeps them in a solid position, with 75 points and they still have to play against Lokomotiv and Atlant, their opposition for that final playoff spot.
Best players:
Jonathan Cheechoo 33 (19+14)
Ryan Vesce 32 (14+18)
Matt Murley 31 (14+17)
Goalies:
Barry Brust – 24 G, 12 W, 93 SVS%, 2.03 GAA, 4 SO
Mark Dekanich – 22 G, 8 W, 92.8 SVS%, 2.36 GAA, 2 SO
Last games:
Spartak – Medvescak 1-3
Avangard – Medvescak 4-3 SO
Barys – Medvescak 1-3.
Yugra are in a incredible 5-game winning streak they've started back on January 5th when they took away three points from Torpedo in Nizhny Novgorod. They went on to beat Vityaz and Dynamo Moscow on the road, both after the shootout, and then took two home wins over Dinamo Minsk and Donbass.
Currently they're 11th in the East and only 10 points shy of Traktor in seed #8, the last one clinching the playoff spot, with ten games left to play. Their record stands at 13-11-21 and they have 53 points.
Best players:
Vitaly Sitnikov 20 (10+10)
Mikhail Zhukov 19 (7+12)
Veli-Mati Savinainen 16 (11+5)
Goalies:
Alexei Kuznetsov – 20 G, 7 W, 91.8 SVS%, 2.25 GAA, 3 SO
Mikhail Biryukov – 32 G, 7 W, 89.6 SVS%, 3.35 GAA, 1 SO.
Last games:
Dynamo Moscow – Yugra 2-3 SO
Yugra – Dinamo Minsk 6-0
Yugra – Donbass 3-1.