LEV 2:1 ZAG | Lev Praha - Medvescak Zagreb (KHL)

KHL

Traktor – Torpedo	0:1 (end)	\|	Metallurg M – Ak Bars	1:0 (end)	\|	Salavat Yulaev – Dynamo	1:3 (end)
Neftekhimik – Vityaz	5:1 (end)	\|	Mytishchi – HC Yugra	5:1 (end)	\|	Cherepovets – Barys	2:1 (end)
SKA St. Petersburg – Avtomobilist	4:0 (end)	\|	Lokomotiv – Avangard	4:1 (end)	\|	CSKA – Donbass	2:1 (2:0 after SO)
Dinamo Minsk – Riga	5:2 (end)	\|	HC Slovan – Spartak	0:3 (end)	\|	Lev – Medvescak	2:1 (after OT)

final/OT

Lev Praha

2:1 (1:1, 0:0, 0:0 - 1:0)

Medvescak Zagreb

Sunday 02.03.2014, 17:00 • Tipsport Arena, Prague • KHL

		With 2 points, Lev now have 98 points, and will finish 3rd place in the Western Conference. With 1 point, Medvescak now have 89 and stay for now in 6th place, 1 point ahead of CSKA Moscow. 6th and 7th place will be determined on Tuesday, with CSKA at home against Dinamo Minsk and Medvescak visit Slovan Bratislava. If they remain 6th, Medvescak will be returning here to Prague for the start of the playoffs next Friday. If they finish 7th, their first-round opponent will be SKA St Petersburg. (20:52:52)
		Game over.
	61:58	Goal for Lev! Right off the faceoff, Patrik Zackrisson won the draw back to Topi Jaakola, whose shot was beautifully re-directed by MARTIN THORNBERG into the net for the game-winning goal. Assists: Topi Jaakola, Patrik Zackrisson.
	61:53	Thornberg from his familiar left-hand shot from the right wing, right on Dekanich, who holds on.
	61:21	Vrana from the point, pad save Dekanich.
	60:01	Overtime began.
		Both teams with a point, Lev now have 97 and Medvescak 89. Valuable for both teams in the jockeying for final playoff positioning. A second point would be valuable for each as well, and they'll battle for that in overtime and then, if nobody scores, a shootout.
	60:00	3rd period finished.
	59:51	Vrana with a wrister from a sharp angle, blocker save Dekanich.
	58:34	Repik with a wrister, pad save Dekanich. Lev coming on, they want the 3 points.
	58:27	A stretch pass tying to spring Murley on a breakaway is intercepted and Lev gets a chance the other way, hard slapper from Azevedo but Dekanich again keeps it out.
	58:05	Icing Medvescak.
	58:00	Dangerous rush from Jiri Sekac, who bowls his way through the defence, stopped by Dekanich, who's knocked back in his net but keeps the puck out.
	57:19	Offside Medvescak again.
	57:05	Offside Medvescak.
	56:45	Topi Jaakola with a high wrister through traffic, caught and held by Dekanich.
	56:16	Now a slapper by Vrana, right on Dekanich, who holds on.
	55:46	Sekac tries to go five-hole from the high slot, stick save Dekanich.
	53:35	A pass to the point misses and the puck goes back to the Medvescak zone, which will kill the rest of their power play.
	52:15	Mark Popovic hammers Petr Vrana into the boards in the neutral zone, Lev fans whistle but play continues.
	51:45	Charles Linglet with a high wrister, hits Vehanen in the shoulder, then Lev ice the puck.
	51:26	A mid-ice collision in the Medvescak zone between Jiri Novotny and Matt Murley -- Novotny getting the gate for interference and Medvescak is headed to the power play.
	50:40	Offside Lev.
	49:57	Sevc with a high blast, blocked in front.
	49:10	Medvescak rush, Martinovic from a sharp angle, turned away by Vehanen.
	48:59	Icing Medvescak.
	48:37	Lev had the puck in the attacking zone but couldn't hold it in at the point and they're offside again.
	48:27	Icing Medvescak.
	48:20	Offside Lev, and we're now 5-on-5.
	48:13	Two #12s are going off, Lev's Jiri Novotny and Medvescak's Ivan Svarny. We'll be 5-on-4 for :03, when Medvescak will get back to full strength.
	48:13	Ondrej Nemec fires a slapper from the point wide, it ends up on the back of the net and play is stopped. Predictably, we get more pushing and shoving after the whistle and penalties are coming.
	47:20	The puck goes by the Lev bench and hits a player making a change, the Medvescak bench is up in arms wanting a penalty, but play continues.
	46:16	Now Bjorkstrand is going to the penalty box for hooking, so Lev to the power play, which hasn't done much these last two games.
	45:58	Patrik Bjorkstrand shows some speed and wins a race to the puck to create a Medvescak 2 on 1, passes to Boyd Kane and he tries to make a move on Petri Vehanen but the Finnish goalie stays with him. He lost control of the puck a bit and didn't get much of a shot.
	43:33	Play in the Lev zone, Matt Ellison misses on the near side.
	43:15	Thornberg leads a Lev rush down the right wing, his wrister is right on Dekanich, who covers again.
	42:50	Puck out of play in the Lev zone, faceoff outside.
	42:34	Lev with possession off the draw, Mac-Andre Gragnani with the shot right on Dekanich, who holds on.
	42:29	Icing Medvescak.
	42:15	Now a Lev rush, Ullstrom the shot, Dekanich the save and play continues behind the Zagreb net.
	41:31	Now Matt Ellison with a head of steam almost gets in the clear but Topi Jaakola makes a great defensive play to knock the puck off his stick at the last minute, then Vehanen covers it.
	41:07	Vehanen makes a couple more saves and we get more pushing and shoving, as Lev players took exception to Matt Murley digging for the rebound.
	41:00	Kane's shot from the point, pad save Vehanen, Lev back at full strength.
	40:30	Medvescak now on the power play, Lev ice the puck . . .
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		The teams are back on the ice and the 3rd period will start shortly. We'll start the period 4-on-4, with just :06 left in Cheechoo's penalty, then Medvescak will go to the power play briefly, with :52 left in Sevc's penalty.
		That period started slow but Lev picked up the pace as it went along and Medvescak were back on their heels. Nobody scored, though, and we're still 1-1 after two periods. Shots on goal in the 2nd period (and game): Lev 19 (32), Medvescak 6 (18). Quality scoring chances: Lev 5 (10), Medvescak 1 (3). 3rd period begins at 18:49 CET, 12:49 EST.
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	38:52	Lev is getting a penalty on the play, Martin Sevc for hooking on the backcheck, so the power play is over and we'll probably finish the period 4-on-4.
	38:49	Medvescak 2-on-1 shorthanded but Bill Thomas couldn't knock down the airbourne saucer pass.
	38:30	Ullstrom tries to shoot again from the slot as he's knocked down and Dekanich holds on.
	38:15	Lev with control off the draw, Nemec the slapper, Ullstrom the rebound, both stopped by Dekanich, play continues.
	38:06	The call is Andrew Murray for the slash on Azevedo, nothing for the scrum after and it looks like Lev will finish this period on the power play.
	38:06	Azevedo takes the puck to the net, save Dekanich, Novotny tries to get the reound but it's covered and we have more pushing and shoving and at least one penalty coming.
	37:42	Sevc with a wrister from the point that looked like it changed direction and hits Dekanich up high.
	36:50	A Lev rush into the zone but they're not able to get a shot away and Medvescak start back.
	34:58	Icing Medvescak. Cheechoo argues that it was tipped, but it was by a Medvescak player before centre, so it's still icing.
	34:51	And once again Mark Dekanich manages to cover the puck. Shots on goal 11-5 Lev this period.
	34:35	Teams back at full strength but play continues in the Medvescak zone and Justin Azevedo fires a wrister off the crossbar from the slot.
	34:20	Martin Sevc with a slapper, stick save Dekanich.
	34:11	Now Gragnani from the point through traffic, it gets to Dekanich and he covers with :11 left in the penalty.
	33:45	Another one-time slapper from Maenpaa, skate save Dekanich.
	33:13	Finally Vehanen covers the puck for a faceoff in the Lev zone. They're now on the power play, with 1:09 to work with.
	32:53	Medvescak back on the offensive, Ivan Svarny lets go a wrister from the point, deflected into Vehanen's pad.
	32:22	The power play is over as Jonathan Cheechoo is going off for slashing. Barring further penalties we'll play 4-on-4 for :48, then Lev will go to the power play.
	31:23	Katic with the shot from the point, pad save Vehanen and then the zone is cleared.
	31:10	Matt Ellison and Jakub Nakladal get tied up along the boards and start trading shots. They both go to the box, roughing will probably be the call as the fans stand up and cheer. Medvescak is coming out of this with a power play, as Nakladal had the original penalty for interference.
	30:48	Medvescak back at full strength, Pacovsky the shot and a blocker save Dekanich. Finally he covers it again after making another save.
	30:04	Late in the power play, Michal Repik takes a pass crossing the blueline and fires a low wrister far side but Mark Dekanich with the toe save.
	29:33	Shot attempt from Azevedo is blocked, then Medvescak ice it.
	28:51	Manepaa with a slapper from the point, blocked in front, then Vrana fires wide, finally Dekanich covers it with 1:13 left in the penalty.
	28:04	Collision at the Lev blueline as Jonathan Cheechoo catches Justin Azevedo with the leg and is called for tripping. Lev to the power play, 0/1 today.
	27:27	Offside Medvescak.
	26:52	Puck goes into the Medvescak zone again, Cingel rips a wrister high.
	26:46	Offside Medvescak on the pass, faceoff back to their own blueline.
	26:37	Medvescak ice it again . . . . Lev with the pressure right now.
	26:28	Icing Medvescak.
	25:43	Martin Thornberg streaks down the left wing and fires a slapper off the nearside goalpost.
	24:11	They clear the zone and Dekanich gets his stick back, then he makes a save and covers it.
	23:20	Now a rocket from Niko Kapenen headed for the far side knocks the stick out of Dekanich's hand. Play continues in the zone.
	23:00	Play down in the Medvescak zone and a lot of crashing and banging nto the boards.
	22:23	Medvescak back at full strength, then they're called for icing.
	21:53	One-time slapper from Mikko Maenpaa, right on Dekanich, who holds on with :17 left in the penalty.
	21:10	Lev go offside exactly halfway through the power play, still no shots.
	20:10	Puck goes into the corner in the Medvescak zone and Kyle Klubertanz gets his stick up on Novotny. He's going off for high-sticking, and Lev goes to the power play for the first time.
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		The teams are back on the ice and the 2nd period will begin shortly.
		An exciting first period of play, with as much emotion in the stands as on the ice. Lev had a ton of chances in the early going but Mark Dekanich was outstanding, keeping it scoreless until Hugh Jessimen could open the scoring for Medvescak. Lev replied, though, courtesy captain Jiri Novotny, then killed off a late penalty and we're tied 1-1 after one. Shots on goal in the 1st period: Lev 13, Medvescak 12. Quality scoring chances: Lev 5, Medvescak 2. 2nd period begins at 17:52 CET, 11:52 EST.
	20:00	1st period finished.
	19:23	Ryan Vesce with a wrister from the point, caught and held by Vehanen with :18 left in the penalty.
	18:22	Medvescak move the puck around for a one-timer from Ivan Svarny, blocked and the zone is cleared.
	17:42	We've now got a Lev penalty on the play, so the faceoff is moved down to the Lev zone. David Ullstrom is going to the box, presumably for a foul on Jessimen. The referees were talking to one of the linesmen after the whistle.
	17:42	Icing Medvescak, and Hugh Jessimen is injured on the play. I didn't see what happened to him but he was crumpled in a ball near the boards. Training staff help him off.
	17:12	Dominik Pacovsky takes a pass and fires from his off wing, kicked out by Dekanich.
	16:04	Faceoff win for Vesce and a one-timer from the point by Svarny, right on Vehanen, who holds on again.
	16:00	Vehanen makes a save and now we've got Martin Thornberg and Patrik Bjorkstrand exchanging cross-checks in front, and they continue to jaw at each other -- probably in Swedish -- all the way to the benches, with the linesmen watching carefully. No penalties on the play.
	14:40	Goal for Lev! Mikko Maenpaa takes a pass as he streaks through the neutral zone at full stride, carries it across the line and sends a pass across to JIRI NOVOTNY heading toward the net. He fires a wrister over the glove of Dekanich to get Lev on the board. Assists: Mikko Maenpaa, Justin Azevedo.
	13:50	Physical play starting to pick up, Jessimen hammers Ridderwall into the boards. Those two were jostling on the last faceoff.
	13:31	Play whistled down for a Lev hand pass in the attacking zone, faceoff outside.
	12:55	Pass out of the corner comes to Boyd Kane in front, he's stopped by Petri Vehanen from point blank and he's checked into the goalie. Play is stopped as Vehanen is knocked down and the faceoff is going outside.
	12:30	Gragnani's slapper is blocked by Cheechoo and Medvescak clear the zone.
	12:11	Icing Medvescak.
	11:52	Maenpaa with a wrister from the point that goes wide.
	11:41	Lev go offside again right off the faceoff trying to enter the zone.
	11:37	Offside Lev.
	11:07	Goal for Medvescak Zagreb! They kept up the pressure in the Lev zone and the puck comes back to Jessimen in the slot. Vehanen got a piece of his shot but MICHAEL RYAN was there to put in the rebound. Assist: Hugh Jessimen.
	10:55	Medvescak with possession off the draw, Svarny from the point deflected in front by Jessimen, right on Vehanen, play continues.
	10:51	Icing Lev.
	10:38	Lev back the other way, one-time slapper from Zackrisson sails high and wide.
	10:10	Vesce with a wrister from the boards, stick save Vehanen.
	08:30	Wrister from Jonathan Cheechoo from the top of the slot, pad save Petri Vehanen.
	08:00	Offside Medvescak.
	07:51	Two more Lev shots on that sequence, the second by Lukas Cingel from a bad angle and Dekanich covers again.
	07:27	Lev head up ice off the draw and Zackrisson takes a long shot from the blueline, stopped and covered by Dekanich. Shots 8-2 for Lev after less than 8 minutes of play.
	07:18	Icing Lev.
	06:40	Two more big saves by Mark Dekanich! First Vrana and the Thornberg again on the rebound. He's really pumped up by the throng of his team's fans standing behind him. What a start to this game for the Medvescak goalie.
	06:00	Sekac drives to the net, save Dekanich, and then lying on the ice he stops Thornberg following up on the rebound.
	04:18	Dekanich makes another save, this time off Thornberg, and covers. We get some pushing and shoving after the whistle and each team is getting penalties -- Lev's Petr Vrana and Medvescak's Sasha Martinovic -- so we'll play 4 on 4.
	02:30	Another Lev rush, Pacovsky drops to Ridderwall for the wrister, pad save Dekanich. He's busy early.
	01:40	Patrik Zackrisson drives hard to the net with the puck for Lev but Mark Dekanich stands his ground and makes another save.
	01:23	Then Petr Vrana from the corner, Dekanich deflects it to the corner.
	01:13	Ondrej Nemec with a low wrister from the point, stick save Dekanich, his first of the game.
	00:08	Right off the opening draw, the puck goes right down to Lev goalie Petri Vehanen and he covers it for a faceoff.
	00:01	Game started.
	00:01	Game started.
		The national anthems of Croatia and the Czech Republic are complete, and the opening faceoff is moments away. Lev Praha are wearing their home red uniforms with blue and white trim, red NY Rangers-style pants and blue helmets. Medvescak Zagreb are wearing their road white uniforms with navy blue trim, navy blue pants and white helmets.
		Starting lineups: Lev Praha: Vehanen (Engren) – Ševc, Mäenpää, Gragnani, Němec, Jaakola, O'Byrne, Nakládal – Azevedo, Novotný, Ullström – Sekáč, Vrána, Thörnberg – Zackrisson, Kapanen, Řepík – Ridderwall, Cingel, Pacovský – Matai Medvescak Zagreb: Dekanich (Brusk) – Martinović, Popović, Švarný, Foster, Katić, Klubertanz, O'Connor – Thomas, Murley, Cheechoo – Linglet, Vesce, Ellison – Jessimen, Ryan, Glumac – Kane, Murray, Björkstrand – Nyström Referees: Kulakov, Tsyplakov – Parfyonov, Golyak.
		Way back in their second game of the season, HC LEV Praha visited Zagreb, and nobody really knew what to expect from a team that had only two KHL games under their belt -- first a 7-1 win over CSKA Moscow followed by a 5-1 loss to Dinamo Riga. The Lions went into the hostile atmosphere of Dom Sportova and won 3-1. Since then, Medveščak and their North American roster have proven that their opening night win was no fluke. They´ve got solid goaltending from the tandem of Barry Brust and Mark Dekanich, who have spit time almost evenly. On defence, they´re led by Kurtis Foster with 21 points 62 penalty minutes and Mathieu Carle with 17. Not surprisingly, they´re led in scoring by former NHL 50-goal-scorer Jonathan Cheechoo, who has 19 goals and 36 points. Right up there with him, however, are Ryan Vesce with 35 points and Matt Murley with 34, followed by Bill Thomas with 30 and Charles Linglet with 27. They have clinched a playoff spot and currently sit 6th in the Western Conference with 88 points. They leap-frogged over CSKA into that position on Friday night with a huge 3-1 win in Moscow. In the last two games, they will now try to stay in that spot, and they even have a possible (although unlikely) chance to climb into 5th or even 4th by winning their last two games and getting some help. ´´We played a good game in Moscow, and Dekanich did a really great job too. We´re in good shape and feel great. We´re ready for the playoffs," said Vesce on the team website. About Sunday´s game in Prague, he said: ´I think this is going to be the most challenging game of these four remaining road games, but it´s also going to be an interesting one. Lev play really well and they aren´t in third place for no reason. This is going to be a big challenge for us.´´ Lev players are up for the game too, expecting a physical affair. "It's going to be a tough game," said Martin Thörnberg, who had 2 points in Friday´s 3-1 win over Dinamo Minsk and leads the team with 17 goals and 30 points. "They have lots of Canadian and American players so it´s going to be a physical game. We need to play hard and hopefully get three points so we can finish in third place." Three points in this game wouldn't absolutely clinch third place for Lev, but it would make it extremely difficult for either Donbass Donetsk or Dinamo Riga -- both three points behind -- to catch them. If the Lions do hold onto 3rd place and the Bears onto 6th, the these two teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs.
		Welcome. This game starts at 17:00 CET local time in Prague and Zagreb, 11:00 EST.

Commentary by

Derek OBrien

@@Djob76

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 15. Novotny (Maenpaa, Azevedo), 62. Thornberg (Jaakola, Zackrisson) – 12. Ryan (Jessimen)

Lev Praha: Vehanen (Engren) – Ševc, Mäenpää, Gragnani, Němec, Jaakola, O'Byrne, Nakládal – Azevedo, Novotný, Ullström – Sekáč, Vrána, Thörnberg – Zackrisson, Kapanen, Řepík – Ridderwall, Cingel, Pacovský – Matai

Medvescak Zagreb: Dekanich (Brusk) – Martinović, Popović, Švarný, Foster, Katić, Klubertanz, O'Connor – Thomas, Murley, Cheechoo – Linglet, Vesce, Ellison – Jessimen, Ryan, Glumac – Kane, Murray, Björkstrand – Nyström

Referees: Kulakov, Tsyplakov – Parfyonov, Golyak

1st period
1st period
	04:18
	11:07
	14:40
	17:42
1st intermission
2nd period
	20:10
	28:04
	31:10
	32:22
	38:06
	38:52
2nd intermission
3rd period
	46:16
	48:13
	51:26
After 3rd period
Overtime
	61:58
Final/OT