BLR 4:1 KAZ | Belarus - Kazakhstan (World Championship)

World Championship

France2 – Italy veterans	1:2 (end)	\|	Germany2 – Latvia	3:2 (end)	\|	Norway – Denmark	4:3 (end)
Belarus – Kazakhstan	4:1 (end)	\|	Sweden2 – Czech Republic	4:3 (2:1 after SO)	\|	Finland – Russia	2:4 (end)

final

Belarus

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

Kazakhstan

Sunday 11.05.2014, 16:30 • Minsk Arena, Minsk • World Championship

		The final buzzer has sounded, and Belarus have registered their first points of their home World Championships with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Kazakhstan! Alexey Gavrilin gave the Kazakhs the lead early on, but second period goals from Andrey Stepanov and Nikolay Stasenko turned the game on its head. In the third period Belarus had the majority of the defending to do, but goals from Sergey Kostistyn and Alexey Kalyuzhniy iced it. Thanks for following the game with us, and join me again soon for Finland-Russia at the 2014 IIHF World Championships! (18:50:42)
	60:00	Game over.
	59:56	Goal for Team Belarus! Just before time runs out the tournament hosts grab a fourth for themselves! ALEXEY KALYUZHNIY follows the puck all the way down the ice and with ease hits the empty net, it's 4-1! Assists- Vladimir Denisov and Sergey Kostitsyn
	59:36	Kazakhstan just cannot get enough shots on goal and we're into the final few seconds of the game
	58:34	Vitaliy Yeremeyev has been pulled for the extra skater already! And just after that the puck smacked the top of the Belorussian bar from the right flank!
	58:00	Alexey Ugarov battling his way to the left hand post slides the puck across goal but no one can make firm contact!
	57:22	The Kazakhs move offside. They're running out of time to turn the situation around
	55:57	Polischuk! Fyodor Polischuk shows brilliant skill to turn away from all off his opponents, skates hard on to the slot but when trying to round the netminder Vitaliy Koval stretches out and covers!
	54:54	Kazakhstan couldn't get set up in the zone at all and Denisov for the hosts is back into the action
	52:54	The Kazakhs have an ideal opportunity here to really put the pressure on, Vladimir Denisov has been penalised for interference
	52:51	Roman Starchenko all on his own doesn't hit the net when in a fantastic position on the tip of the crease! And just before that Konstantin Pushkaryov caused mayhem cutting in from behind the net!
	51:28	Both teams are again back to full strength with just over eight minutes remaining
	50:28	Platt! Two absolutely massive slappers from Geoff Platt on the right faceoff circle come mighty close, with the second clanging into the near post!
	49:21	And on that note the Belorussians take a timeout, they know that this is a golden opportunity to put the game to bed
	49:21	We have a third penalty in a very short space of time, Fyordor Polischuk has been punished giving Belarus a four on three powerplay
	48:58	Platt takes aim turning on the left, but his effort is right down Vitaliy Yeremeyev's throat
	48:47	Artemi Lakiza is off to the penalty box for the third time today, his hooking offence didn't go unnoticed by the referees. But Andrey Stepanov for simulation in the same play has also been called!
	47:28	Nikolay Antropov holding on to the puck drifts to the right, wrists through traffic but he can't find a hole through the pile of bodies
	46:51	It's icing from Kazakhstan. At 3-1 down they have to find their character from somewhere
	46:33	The under pressure Kazakhs are back to full strength
	45:35	Platt! A heavy first time slapper from Geoff Platt on the right faceoff circle is well gathered by Vitaliy Yeremeyev!
	45:05	Stepanov! What a chance for Andrey Stepanov who has already found the net today! Two on one breakaway for the hosts but at the left of the crease Stepanov makes really poor contact!
	44:33	Roman Savchenko for holding his opponent has been penalised giving the adrealine pumped Belorussians a powerplay
	44:28	Yevgeni Kovryshin looks to skate all the way into the crease but he's forced out and smashed into the left hand boards! He got taken out there!
	41:33	Belarus are back to full strength and they will be delighted to have grabbed a shorthanded goal for themselves! The Minsk Arena sure is a noisy place today
	41:25	Goal for Team Belarus! That could prove to be a very important goal! SERGEY KOSTITSYN takes the puck up at the high slot and rips it past the netminder high into the net! Shorthanded goal and it's 3-1! Assists- Alexey Yefimenko and Oleg Yevenko
	40:33	Antropov! Nikolay Antropov lurking on the right of the slot receives the puck, turns around sharply but can't slide it under Vitaliy Koval's outstretched right pad!
	40:01	The third and crucial period is underway with the Kazakhs on the powerplay for a further 01:23
	40:01	Start of 3rd period.
		Statistics after the opening 40 minutes of play- Shots on target- 20-15 Saves made by the goalkeeper- 14-18 Penalty minutes- 8-6
	40:00	2nd period finished.
	39:33	For hooking Alexander Kitarov has been called just 27 seconds before the end of the second period
	38:14	Talgat Zhailauov bursts through to the left of the crease, looks for the far corner but the puck flies just off target! Kazakhstan are finding holes in their opponents' defence
	37:55	The hosts move offside with their fans still in fine voice
	37:15	Belarus are back to full strength just as a very dangerous pass across their slot went untouched!
	35:51	Kostitsyn! Sergey Kostitsyn embarks on a strong shorthanded breakout all on his own, and cutting in from the high slot he misses the right hand post!
	35:15	Dmitriy Korobov for tripping has been sent to the penalty box and it's another Kazakh powerplay
	33:33	Panshin! He should have done better with that chance! A terrible Belorussian turnover behind their own net leaves Mikhail Panshin with only Koval to beat, but the forward can only find the netminder's body!
	32:33	And Belarus are now back at full strength. The home fans still haven't calmed down after seeing their team come back from one down to take the lead themselves!
	32:14	Talgat Zhailauov with bodies in front of him puts a wrist shot in on net from the left faceoff circle, but it's too weak and blocked easily
	30:33	Sergey Kostitsyn for hooking here though has given Kazakhstan a powerplay chance to get right back into it
	30:08	Goal for Team Belarus! The Kazakhs are caught out defensively and the Belorussians take full advantage! With the away defence all over the place NIKOLAY STASENKO is found on the doorstep and he sends the puck high into the left hand corner, it's 2-1! Assists- Andrey Stepanov and Roman Graborenko
	29:01	Starchenko! Again Roman Starchenko is the troublemaker for the home defence! As Kevin Dallman's wrister from the point pops out Starchenko just can't poke it past the netminder!
	28:29	Kazakhstan despite conceding that equaliser do look better attacking wise in this period, Vitaliy Koval is having a lot more work to do
	26:09	Belarus are back to full strength just as Sergey Kostitsyn almost bullied his way through the entire Kazakh defence!
	25:05	Dallman! Kevin Dallman winds up from the point and Koval sends it well clear with his pads!
	24:09	Kirill Gotovets for interference has now been punished and Kazakhstan are going on the powerplay for two minutes
	23:10	Romanov! The Kazakhs almost went right back ahead again! Skating in from behind the net Konstantin Romanov backhands inches wide of the right hand post with the goalkeeper unsighted!
	22:46	Goal for Team Belarus! At last the hosts are on the board! Mikhail Grabovski with a flashy backhand pass feeds ANDREY STEPANOV skating hard on the right flank who goes five hole on the netminder, powerplay goal and it's 1-1! Assists- Mikhail Grabovski
	22:26	Starchenko! Again Koval in the Belorussian net gets lucky! Roman Starchenko forces his way through one on one, but appears to hit the post! You have to take chances like that!
	21:59	Oleg Blokhin for hooking has given the fired up hosts a powerplay to keep the heat up
	21:19	Kostitsyn! Sergey Kostitsyn cuts into the slot unchallenged, shoots not once but twice but with the home fans already ready to cheer Kazakh defenders clear it off the line!
	21:05	Belarus now commit icing
	20:15	Vitaliy Koval gets lucky as a fierce wrister from the left smashes against his right hand post! That was close for the Kazakhs!
	20:01	Here we go in the second stanza! Belarus will be looking to keep the pressure on
	20:01	Start of 2nd period.
		Statistics after the first period- Shots on target- 13-7 Saves made by the goalkeeper- 6-13 Penalty minutes- 0-4
	20:00	1st period finished.
	19:52	We're now into the final seconds of a very up tempo opening period
	19:30	Konstantin Romanov after winning the puck against the boards charges hard into the slot, it eventually falls to Dmitriy Upper who from point blank range misses the target!
	18:25	Alexander Kitarov skates all around the net looking to make a killer pass, but excellent marking from Kevin Dallman doesn't allow him to create anything
	16:29	Geoff Platt gets open streaking into left of the zone, wrists hard looking for the far post but Yeremeyev gloves and freezes at the second attempt
	15:22	Starchenko! Roman Starchenko out of nothing could have grabbed Kazakhstan's second there! A terrible cross ice pass from Andrey Stas frees up Starchenko on the left, but with clear ice in front of him he slaps into the goalkeeper's midriff!
	14:59	Just after Konstantin Pushkaryov backhanded well wide of the right hand post, Belorussian netminder Vitaliy Koval clings on to a shot from the left faceoff circle
	14:14	Kirill Gotovets from the left flank looks to catch out the goalkeeper at his near post but Vitali Yeremeyev without too much trouble pads it wide!
	13:08	The Kazakhs are sitting back looking to only break away on the counterattack, but they do look dangerous on those breakaways
	12:14	Vladimir Denisov looks for the goalkeeper to give up a rebound with a weak effort from the left hand boards, but the attack comes to nothing
	10:50	Kalyuzhniy! Alexey Kalyuzhniy cuts in from behind the net, drifts out before sharply twisting and firing into the goalkeeper's chest!
	10:27	The Kazakh netminder then has to again work with his glove, this time off efforts from further out. Already he looks really on his game
	10:17	Yevenko! Just how didn't he score, what an opportunity! Oleg Yevenko closes in on the doorstep unmarked, it seems he can't miss but Yeremeyev makes a wonderful glove save!
	09:53	Kazakhstan are now back to full strength
	09:30	Korobov again looks to get something going from the blue line, this time it makes its way to the net but Vitali Yeremeyev fields it well
	09:05	Dmitriy Korobov winds up for a big slapper from distance but traffic in front of him manage to block it
	07:53	Belarus have already their second powerplay coming up here, and again it's Artemi Lakiza who is the guilty party this time for interference
	07:45	Grabovski! The star of Belorussian hockey Mikhail Grabovski twists inside of his opponent on the left, flashes the puck across goal but no one is there!
	06:42	Belarus now ice the puck. They do look a bit shaken up by that goal, Kazakhstan are controlling the puck better
	04:42	Kazakhstan commit icing. For Belarus it's the nightmare start, and they don't want to be trailing for long
	04:12	Goal for Team Kazakhstan! Despite being under pressure from the off the Kazakhs take a surprise lead! ANDREI GAVRILIN skates hard into the zone on the right flank, with a sharp turn fools all of his defenders and wrists high into the near post! It's 1-0! Assists- Alexey Vasilchenko
	03:44	Dmitriy Upper skates away for the Kazakhs and from the high slot he has a wrister padded away. And his team are already back to full strength
	01:44	Belarus have started really aggressively and they have already earned a powerplay, Artemi Lakiza for hooking has been penalised
	01:47	Platt! What a chance for Geoff Platt to give the hosts an early lead! At the right hand post he can't make good contact when perfectly positioned!
	00:56	We're underway inside the packed and expectant Minsk Arena!
	00:01	Game started.
		The teams are out on to the ice and the opening faceoff is moments away!
		Starting lineups: Belarus: Koval (Mezin)- Korobov, Graborenko, Grabovski, Stepanov, Kalyuzhniy- Yevenko, Denisov, Kostitsyn, Platt, Stas- Gotovets, Stasenko, Koltsov, Kitarov, Kovyrshin- Usenko, Ugarov, Yefimenko, Osipov, Volkov Kazakhstan: Yeremeyev (Ivanov)- Dallman, Litvinenko, Starchenko, Krasnoslobodtsev, Antropov- Lakiza, Savchenko, Upper, Pushkaryov, Romanov- Vasilchenko, Kazantsev, Zhailauov, Polishuk, Gavrilin- Semyonov, Blokhin, Spiridonov, Panshin, Rakhmanov Referees: Brueggemann, Kaval, Frano, Dahmen, Leermakers.
		Belarus on their home World Championship debut really fell apart, being thrashed by the Americans 6-1 and the tournament hosts have to perform better today. The Kazakhs didn't fare much better, going down to minnows Germany 2-1 after penalty shots.
		Both of these teams have already played one game each, and this is how Group B looks before today's match. 1. USA W2 L0 GF 9 GA 3 PTS 6 2. GER W2 L0 GF 5 GA 3 PTS 5 3. RUS W1 L0 GF 5 GA 0 PTS 3 4. LAT W1 L1 GF 5 GA 5 PTS 3 5. KAZ W0 L1 GF 1 GA 2 PTS 1 6. FIN W0 L1 GF 2 GA 3 PTS 0 7. BLR W0 L1 GF 1 GA 6 PTS 0 8. SUI W0 L2 GA 2 GA 8 PTS 0
		This is a tournament that the whole of Belarus has been waiting for, and they don't want to let the chance of a lifetime go to waste, Their opponents today Kazakhstan aren't a fearsome opponent, but they will want to show they whole world that they can play hockey with the best of them.
		Good afternoon and welcome to this 2014 IIHF World Championship Group B match between the tournament hosts Belarus and Kazakhstan. This is a very important match for both sides, and we should be in for a hotly contested affair.
		Welcome. Game starts at 16:30.

Commentary by

Shaun Nicolaides

Goals & lineups Match log

Goals and assists: 23. Stepanov (Grabovski), 31. Stasenko (Stepanov, Graborenko), 42. Kostitsyn (Yefimenko, Yevenko), 60. Kalyuzhniy (Denisov, Kostitsyn) – 5. Gavrilin (Vasilchenko)

Belarus: Koval (Mezin)- Korobov, Graborenko, Grabovski, Stepanov, Kalyuzhniy- Yevenko, Denisov, Kostitsyn, Platt, Stas- Gotovets, Stasenko, Koltsov, Kitarov, Kovryshin- Usenko, Ugarov, Yefimenko, Osipov, Volkov

Kazakhstan: Yeremeyev (Ivanov)- Dallman, Litvinenko, Starchenko, Krasnoslobodtsev, Antropov- Lakiza, Savchenko, Upper, Pushkaryov, Romanov- Vasilchenko, Kazantsev, Zhailauov, Polishuk, Gavrilin- Semyonov, Blokhin, Spiridonov, Panshin, Rakhmanov

Referees: Brueggemann, Kaval, Frano, Dahmen, Leermakers

Attendance: 13734

1st period
	01:44
	04:12
	07:53
1st intermission
2nd period
	21:59
	22:46
	24:09
	30:08
	30:33
	35:15
	39:33
2nd intermission
3rd period
	41:25
	44:33
	48:47
	49:21
	52:54
	59:56
Final