VTZ 6:2 RIG | Vityaz Podolsk - Dinamo Riga (KHL)

KHL

Ak Bars – HC Slovan	2:1 (2:1 after SO)	\|	Torpedo – Lev	5:2 (end)	\|	Vityaz – Riga	6:2 (end)
Dynamo – CSKA	2:1 (2:1 after SO)

final

Vityaz Podolsk Rusko

6:2 (0:1, 2:0, 4:1)

Dinamo Riga

Wednesday 22.01.2014, 16:00 • KHL

		Thank you for following the game with us! (18:18:47)
		In the first period it looked like Dinamo's game plan would work and they earned a 1-0 lead but with the start of the second period Vityaz became stronger and stronger and finally took over the initiative completely in this game and made it 2-1 before the second intermission. The last 20 minutes started even worse for Dinamo when Vityaz simply over ran them by scoring three fast goals. In the end the 6-2 – which was the first Vityaz win after 9 (!) consecutive losses and also the first for them in the year of 2014 – was more than deserved for the home side! Shots on goal: Vityaz 9 (27) – Dinamo 14 (31)
	60:00	Game over.
	59:37	A one-timer from the blue line by the guests goes straight into the gloves of Lisutin!
	59:09	Wilson tries it with a powerful shot from the right wing, easy save for Lisutin as the shot was not placed well at all.
	58:48	Long clearance by Vityaz, the Dinamo chance is gone.
	58:11	Roman Kudinov (Vityaz) gets two minutes for clipping when he diveed into his opponent and crashed into his legs.
	58:00	The last two minutes were announced.
	57:17	Vityaz do just the necessary and leave the ice for Dinamo who can't use it.
	56:42	A sing of life of the guests but Darzins shot from the left wing is easily stopped by Lisutin!
	56:11	A Vityaz one-timer from the blue line goes wide past the left bottom corner.
	55:50	Pass from behind the Dinamo net back towards the slot but all players miss the puck and the attack is over.
	54:49	Robert Kousal is stopped by Sedlacek after trying it with a shot from the left circle.
	53:36	Misunderstanding between two Vityaz forwards at the Dinamo blue line and they run into the offside!
	52:30	Not much time left on the clock and after "half a dozen" goals were scored by Vityaz even the last resistence by the Latvians stopped to exist!
	51:12	Goal for Vityaz! ALEXEI MAKEYEV's shot in power play from within the slot goes through the crowd in front of the Dinamo net and the puck ends up inside the left bottom corner after Sedlacek failed to stop it! Assisted by Maxim Afinogenov and Yakov Seleznyov.
	50:32	2-on-1 attack for Vityaz but they don't play it well! A pass by Alexei Makeyev to the left reaches Maxim Afinogenov but he fails to get a decent shot on goal completely alone in front of Sedlacek!
	49:50	Rodrigo Lavins (Dinamo) gets two minutes for high-sticking.
	48:21	Goal for Dinamo Riga! MARTINS CIPULIS is left alone on the right circle and aims well to snipe the puck into the left top corner past the stick hand of Vityaz goalie Ivan Lisutin! Is the 5-2 just a consolation goal or the start of a race to catch up? Assisted by Mat Robinson.
	47:59	A long shot from within the neutral zone by one of the guests became longer and longer and almost surprised Lisutin in the left bottom corner!
	46:42	A series of shots from all possible angles by the Latvians but they fail to get Lisutin out of his position!
	45:00	Dinamo are trying to keep the action on the ice a bit more equal but three fast goals within just two minutes leave them pretty chanceless for the remainder of the game!
	43:15	Goal for Vityaz! Just 39 seconds after entering the ice Dinamo backup goalie Jakub Sedlacek – who is still cold – is surprised by MAXIM AFINOGENOV who fires the puck into the right top corner with a shot from the right circle! That shot was hard and well-placed but Sedlacek's reaction was pretty slow! Assisted by Airat Ziazov.
	42:36	The guests change their goalies. In for Mikael Tellqvist now is Jakub Sedlacek!
	42:36	Timeout Dinamo Riga!
	42:31	Goal for Vityaz! Wow! Just wow! Vityaz are destroying Dinamo right now! ALEXANDER VASILYEV is sent past the right wing, leaves his opponent Georgijs Pujacs behind himself, is away with the break away and dekes out goalie Tellqvist to make it 4-1! Is that already the decision in this match?
	41:13	Goal for Vityaz! Perfect start for the home team into this third period! MAXIM AFINOGENOV receives a long pass at the Dinamo blue line and is through with a break away in which he dekes out Tellqvist from short distance and fires the puck into the then wide open net – 3-1 Vityaz! Assisted by Alexei Makeyev and Ivan Ivanov.
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		Vityaz invested more in the second period than their Latvian counterparts and took over controll of the game. As a result they had a serious of good scoring opportunities of whcih they used two to make it a deserved 2-1 after 40 minutes! Shots on goal: Vityaz 13 (18) – Dinamo 8 (17)
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	39:17	Dinamo almost score with a man more on the ice! First a pass from the left circle didn't find its way through but then Mat Robinson appeared completely free in front of Lisutin but the Vityaz goalie deflected the powerful one-timer over the crossbar and saved his team the small lead!
	37:59	Roman Kudinov (Vityaz) gets two minutes for roughing after he was not happy with a hard check. Very unnecessary!
	37:23	Vityaz keep the pressure high and they almost score another time but after Tellqvist allowed a rebound, Vityaz forward Martin Cibak missed the wide open net from short distance!
	36:07	Goal for Vityaz! ANTON KOROLYOV receives a very long pass at the Dinamo blue line, goes skates through the hole between Arvids Rekis and Rodrigo Lavins and under heavy pressure beats Tellqvist while slipping and falling to the ice! What a goal for Vityaz to turn the match around completely! Assisted by Mathias Porseland and Ivan Ivanov.
	35:39	Anton Korolyov battles his way through the guest defense on the right circle but his shot from a sharp angle is stopped by Tellqvist!
	34:51	Icing against Dinamo Riga.
	33:31	Vityaz forward Airat Zizazov was left alone on the left wing and also deked out the last defender but then his shot towards the left bottom corner was blocked to the side by Tellqvist!
	32:30	Vityaz is inreasing the pressure once more and they are playing a lot better than during the previous 20 minutes but still this is not enough to really make the Dinamo defense sweat.
	30:44	A shot by Vityaz' Igor Golovikov from the right circle is deflected over the crossbar and out of play by Tellqvist with the stick hand!
	29:36	The following counter led to a 2-on-1 situation for Dinamo but a one-timer from the right post went wide!
	29:22	Anton Korolyov with a lot of space inside the slot but his pass towards the right post goes wide.
	28:56	Vityaz take over the initiative but can't hold the puck inside the Dinamo third..
	27:56	Maxim Afinogenov (Vityaz) gets two minutes for tripping while Vitalijs Pavlovs (Dinamo) gets two minutes for diving – he was hit but then he made a very "dramatic" jump to the ground... we are going to have two minutes of 4 on 4 hockey if nothing else happens.
	26:22	The puck goes back and forth currently from net to net without shots on goal.
	25:05	On the other side of the ice a one-timer from the left wing didn't make it past the Dinamo defense.
	24:34	The guests try it from the blue line but the following shot goes wide significantly.
	22:55	We are seeing opportunities on both sides currently. The best had Lauris Darzins just now when he tried it with a hard shot towards the right top corner from short distance but was stopped by Lisutin!
	21:57	Goal for Vityaz! With a man more on the ice VYACHESLAV SOLODUKHIN is able to score the equalizer – 1-1!!!!!! The Vityaz forward ended a nice passing combination of his team with a shot from close to the left circle that beat Tellqvist through the five hole! Assisted by Georgy Berdyukov and Mathias Porseland.
	21:20	Kyle Wilson (Dinamo) gets two minutes for tripping after he was too aggressive trying to win the puck back for his team behind the Vityaz net.
	20:50	Two good opportunities in the second period already. First Paul Szczechura missed the puck waiting alone in front of the Vityaz net after the puck made a strange bounce back from the boards behind the net and then in the following counter Vyacheslav Solodukhin was stopped by Tellqvist from short distance after coming from the right wing!
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		Dinamo Riga needed a bit but then the Latvians took over the controll of the game and used one of several good opportunities for a small 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. Vityaz only rarely showed real danger. Shots on goal: Vityaz 5 – Dinamo 9
	20:00	1st period finished.
	19:47	After a misdirected pass by a Dinamo player, suddenly the hosts had their best chance of the first period with a 2-on-1 counter attack! The following one-timer from within the slot was stopped by Tellqvist though!
	18:48	The home side with qutie a long puck possession inside the Dinamo thid but they fail to get a shot on goal.
	16:58	On the other side of the ice a counter attack almost led to the equalizer but a Vityaz forward failed to use a one-timer from short distance after being left completely alone!
	16:29	First Wilson's shot from the right circle was stopped and then Indrasis was denied a wrap-around goal by the right skate of Lisutin! Big double chance for the guests from Latvia!
	15:32	Dinamo win a face off in the Vityaz third and Miks Indrasis gets a fast shot on goal but it is not placed well enough to surprise Lisutin in the net.
	15:13	Gunars Skvorcovs tries it with a shot from the right wing but can't find the hole between Lisutin and the right goal post !
	13:57	A long pass towards the Dinamo blue line, then a fast pass to the left and suddenly Ivan Ivanov appeared in a 1-on-1 situation with Dinamo goalie Tellqvist but the Vityaz forward's shot was stopped!
	13:08	Miks Indrasis's shot from close to the blue line after an individual performance is cleared easily to the side by Lisutin!
	12:52	Vityaz try to give the fast answer but the Latvians are defending with five players inside the own third.
	11:50	Goal for Dinamo Riga! And here we have the goal for Dinamo! LAURIS DARZINS received the puck in front of the own net, rushed towards the other side of the ice, deked out last defender Sergei Rozin with high speed and then beat Vityaz goalie Ivan Lisutin from short distance! What a nice solo! Without assist.
	10:43	A beautiful solo by Riga's Arvids Rekids almost led to the lead for the guests! He started deep inside his team's third and skated through the whole ice to try it with a fast shot from within the slot that went just wide!
	07:11	Both teams are back at full strength without being able to create much danger during the last two minutes.
	05:11	Yakov Seleznyov (Vityaz) gets two minutes for slashing when he hit the head of his opponent. Aleksandrs Nizivijs (Dinamo) gets two minutes for roughing when he tried to beat him in revenge. We are going to see a long 4 on 4 situation.
	04:32	Kyle Wilson has the first big opportunity of the game when he waits alone in front of the Vityaz net but from short distance his back hander was stopped with a pad save by goalie Ivan Lisutin!
	03:56	After a fast counter over the right wing Vityaz' Dmitry Shitikov misses the right bottom corner.
	03:37	Dinamo defender Mat Robinson with a lot of time behind his own net, wants to take the speed out of the game a bit.
	02:40	A combination between Dinamo forwards Bicevskis and Begovs on the left wing stays without a shot on goal after a defender goes in between in the lats moment.
	01:45	With "nothing left to lose" in this season, Vityaz play with their forwards very high on the ice.
	00:14	Vityaz start aggressively into this match. Solodukhin skated behind the Dinamo net with the puck and gave it to his team mate Shitikov but the defense was able to clear the situation easily.
	00:01	Game started.
		Despite the game being played at the "prime time" the arena in Podolsk looks extremly empty.
		The teams are waiting on the ice and the national anthems are being played. The game is about to start in a couple of minutes.
		Starting lineups: Vityaz Podolsk: Lisutin (Backlund) – Porseland, Berdyukov, Seleznyov, Golovkov, Rozin, Korovkin, Kudinov – Solodukhin, Shitikov, Cibak, Afinogenov, Ziazov, Makeyev, Kousal, Korolyov, Poltorak, Ivanov, Vasilyev, Koksharov, Shatsky Dinamo Riga: Tellqvist (Sedlacek) – Robinson, Pujacs, Lavins, Rekis, Redlihs, Sotnieks, Siksna – Szczechura, Indrasis, Hascak, Nizivijs, Wilson, Pavlovs, Johnson, Cipulis, Darzins, Begovs, Skvorcovs, Sarkanis, Bicevskis Referees: Anisimov, Cherenkov – Birin, Medvedev
		With the 2013-14 regular season in KHL coming to an end in less than 10 games to play per team, today's opponents Vityaz Podolsk and Dinamo Riga both know where the way goes for them and just the exact position stays open. Vityaz are 13th and thus second last in the Western Conference with 50 points in 47 games and with a 19 point deficit towards the playoff spots, are going to miss them again this year, so that they can plan for the Nadezhda Cup, a trophy that was introduced in the 2012-13 season for the first time. There the teams that missed the playoffs will play a tournament for "the best of the rest". Latvian side Dinamo Riga played a lot better than expected by most hockey journalists before the season. They are 6th in the West with 80 points in 46 games and a very comfortable 17 point advantage towards the first non-playoff position, currently held by Atlant Moscow Oblast. For Vityaz the month of January and thus what is over of the year 2014 by now has been a complete disaster. The team lost all 8 matches, including 5 on home ice and was only able to get a point in each of the thirst three matches through a shootout loss. With the loss against Medvescak at the end of December they already lost 9 times in a row and only won one of their last 12 games. Dinamo on the other side was able to stay high in the standings in the West without fully convicing in 2014 so far with 3 wins and 4 losses, being beaten recently by Lev Prague (1-2 SO) and Slovan Bratislava (1-3) on home ice. A close game can be expected this afternoon but anything but an away win for the Latvians from Riga would be a surprise!
		Welcome. Game starts at 15:00 GMT / 16:00 CET / 19:00 MSK which is also the local time in Podolsk.

Commentary by

Dennis Mende

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 22. Solodukhin (Berdyukov, Porseland), 37. Korolyov (Porseland, Ivanov), 42. Afinogenov (Makeyev, Ivanov), 43. Vasilyev, 44. Afinogenov (Ziazov), 52. Makeyev (Afinogenov, Seleznyov) – 12. Darzins, 49. Cipulis (Robinson)

Vityaz Podolsk: Lisutin (Backlund) – Porseland, Berdyukov, Seleznyov, Golovkov, Rozin, Korovkin, Kudinov – Solodukhin, Shitikov, Cibak, Afinogenov, Ziazov, Makeyev, Kousal, Korolyov, Poltorak, Ivanov, Vasilyev, Koksharov, Shatsky

Dinamo Riga: Tellqvist (Sedlacek) – Robinson, Pujacs, Lavins, Rekis, Redlihs, Sotnieks, Siksna – Szczechura, Indrasis, Hascak, Nizivijs, Wilson, Pavlovs, Johnson, Cipulis, Darzins, Begovs, Skvorcovs, Sarkanis, Bicevskis

Referees: Anisimov, Cherenkov – Birin, Medvedev

1st period
	05:11
	11:50
1st intermission
2nd period
	21:20
	21:57
	27:56
	36:07
	37:59
2nd intermission
3rd period
	41:13
	42:31
	43:15
	48:21
	49:50
	51:12
	58:11
Final