🇷🇺 Russia 4-3 Czechia 🇨🇿 (SO)
Channel One Cup
CSKA Arena, Moscow 🇷🇺
Saturday, 14 December 2019

The Russians seemed to be cruising to victory when 2-0 up in the first period, but after the Czechs scored three successive goals, the host nation required an equalizer in the third frame to force overtime. SKA Saint Petersburg forward Vladimir E. Tkachyov scored the winning penalty after the teams took the match to a tense shootout.

Russia made the perfect start within two minutes. Lurking on the doorstep, Andrei Kuzmenko connected with Nikita Lyamkin’s attempt from the point, neatly deflecting the puck beyond Šimon Hrubec. Moments later, Kirill Kaprizov could have immediately doubled the Russian advantage, but he was denied by the crossbar.

The Czechs, who had defeated Finland in overtime at home on Thursday, gradually found their feet and came close to an equalizer when Lukáš Sedlák struck the right post with Ilya Sorokin beaten. Vojtěch Mozík then thumped two slap shots off target when on the power play.

Nevertheless, Russia regained control of the game towards the end of the first period, and Mikhail Grigorenko extended the lead to two on the man advantage as he swept Vadim Shipachyov’s pass high into the net.

Recovering well from the blow of the second goal, the Czechs came flying out of the blocks in the second stanza, and they promptly halved the deficit as Sedlak forced the puck over the line after a cunning deflection had fooled Ilya Sorokin.

Sorokin, however, soon came to Russia’s rescue as he pulled off a superb stop to somehow deny Andrej Nestrašil at point blank range. At the other end, the hosts were struggling to build up solid momentum in the Czech zone, although Mikhail Grigorenko and Anton Burdasov both missed golden opportunities.

The Czechs punished Russia for those misses. Escaping his marker, Tomáš Filippi cut to the high slot, subsequently whipping a wrister into the right corner. Filippi later hit the frame of the goal in the dying moments of the second period.

Russia began the decisive third period on the front foot, but with 48 minutes on the clock, the opponents gained their maiden lead of the match as Hynek Zohorna sent the puck into the roof of the net.

The home team weren’t deterred by that setback, though, and Igor Ozhiganov promptly equalised just 80 seconds later. Displaying dazzling skills, Tkachyov brilliantly picked out Ozhiganov with a backhand pass, and the latter gave the play the finish it deserved.

Overtime was required. During the extra five minutes, both of the two teams had power play chances to end the game, but Hrubec in particular made a range of impressive saves.

It went all the way to the penalty shootout, in which Tkachyov scored the only goal to clinch a pulsating 4-3 triumph!

Russia will conclude the Channel One Cup campaign with a match against Finland at the Gazprom Arena in Saint Petersburg on Sunday.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
02:09 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Kuzmenko (Lyamkin)
08:58 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Yakimov, holding
17:34 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Sedlák, roughing
17:44 – 🇷🇺 PP GOAL – Grigorenko (Voinov, Shipachyov)

2nd Period
21:43 – 🇨🇿 GOAL – Sedlák (Jaškin, Krejčík)
35:24 – 🇨🇿 GOAL – Filippi (Zaťovič, Sekáč)
38:34 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Mironov, roughing

3rd Period
47:28 – 🇨🇿 GOAL – H. Zohorna (Klok, R. Zohorna)
48:48 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Ozhiganov (Vladimir E. Tkachyov)
58:58 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Mozík, kneeing

Overtime
60:21 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Shipachyov, tripping
62:43 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Jaškin, slashing

Shootout
🇨🇿 Horák stopped
🇷🇺 Vladimir E. Tkachyov scored
🇨🇿 H. Zohorna stopped
🇷🇺 Grigorenko stopped
🇨🇿 Filippi stopped
🇷🇺 Slepyshev stopped
🇨🇿 Sedlák stopped
🇷🇺 Ketov stopped
🇨🇿 Jaškin stopped

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇷🇺 Sorokin (32-35)
L: 🇨🇿 Hrubec (20-23)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇷🇺 3+9+9+2 = 23
🇨🇿 6+13+14+2 = 35

ROSTERS
🇷🇺 Goaltenders: Alexander Samonov, Ilya Sorokin. Defence: Grigori Dronov, Nikita Lyamkin, Alexei Marchenko, Andrei Mironov, Nikita Nesterov (A), Igor Ozhiganov, Rushan Rafikov, Vyacheslav Voinov (A). Forwards: Anton Burdasov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Kirill Kaprizov, Pavel Karnaukhov, Yevgeni Ketov (C), Andrei Kuzmenko, Kirill Semyonov, Vadim Shipachyov, Anton Slepyshev, Nikita Soshnikov, Vladimir A. Tkachyov, Vladimir E. Tkachyov, Bogdan Yakimov.
🇨🇿 Goaltenders: Šimon Hrubec, Marek Langhamer. Defence: Jakub Jeřábek (A), Lukáš Klok, Jakub Krejčík (A), Michal Moravčík, Vojtěch Mozík, Filip Pyrochta, Andrej Šustr, Ondřej Vitásek. Forwards: Ondřej Beránek, Tomáš Filippi, Roman Horák, Dmitrij Jaškin, Radan Lenc, Andrej Nestrašil, Radovan Pavlík, Lukáš Sedlák, Jiří Sekáč, David Tomášek, Martin Zaťovič (C), Hynek Zohorna, Radim Zohorna.

Article Credit: FHR
Photo Credit: FHR – IIHF – HHOF – IOC