🇷🇺 Russia 4-3 Canada 🇨🇦
Channel One Cup
CSKA Arena, Moscow 🇷🇺
Wednesday, 15 December 2021

In the opening match of the 2021 Channel One Cup, Russia survived a late onslaught against Canada, emerging victorious by a score of 4-3 at the CSKA Arena in Moscow.

The two teams immediately started competing at a fast tempo, creating plenty of opportunities and attacking at any given opportunity.

Russia made the breakthrough within five minutes.

Lurking between the faceoff circles, the unmarked Yegor Korshkov took control of the puck and sent a rasping wrister over the stricken Justin Pogge in the Canadian net.

The hosts pressed Canada throughout the opening frame, with the skillful Kirill Marchenko particularly lively. Canada were also creating chances, though, and our goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov had to make a handful of difficult saves with the opponents creating problems for our team on the counter-attack.

Canada tallied their equalizer on the powerplay in the eighth minute of the second period after making a strong start to the frame.

Unmarked on the right flank, defenceman Brandon Gormley sent a clever wrister under Fedotov.

Nevertheless, that goal only resulted in waking the Russians up again, as the home team instantly reinstated their lead a mere 25 seconds later.

At the blue line, Alexander Yelesin decided to try his luck, and his low effort snuck past Pogge who just couldn’t prevent the puck from crossing the line.

Following that goal, Russia began to run the play again, protecting the puck inside the attacking zone effectively and testing Pogge on a regular basis. With a mere six seconds remaining in the second stanza, Nikita Nesterov unleashed an unstoppable one-timer beyond Pogge on the powerplay to deservedly increase the Russian lead to two goals.

That lead was promptly extended to three in the first minute of the third period.

Marchenko brilliantly robbed Pogge of the puck behind the net, found the unmarked Vadim Shipachyov on the doorstep with an intelligent pass, and the latter hit the jackpot with the goalkeeper unable to get back in position in time.

However, Canada weren’t prepared to go down without a fight. Presented with an odd-man rush in the 48th minute, they registered their second goal with the unmarked Daniel Audette giving Fedotov no chance.

The Canadians subsequently made it a nervy finish. After pulling their goaltender, they halved the deficit to one in the penultimate minute, as Eric O’Dell successfully connected with Mat Robinson’s intelligent feed across the slot.

Canada crashed Fedotov’s net with intent during the concluding minute after swapping Pogge for the extra skater again. But, with our goalkeeper standing tall to the challenge, our team held on for dear life.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
04:24 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Korshkov
15:54 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Audette, high sticking
19:02 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Murphy, cross checking

2nd Period
27:07 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Sharipzyanov, tripping
27:51 – 🇨🇦 PP GOAL – Gormley (Robinson, Tambellini)
28:16 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Yelesin (K. Marchenko, Chibisov)
31:17 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Currie, tripping
39:21 – 🇨🇦 PEN – Beck, tripping
39:53 – 🇷🇺 PP GOAL – Nesterov (Anisimov)

3rd Period
40:20 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Shipachyov (K. Marchenko)
47:10 – 🇨🇦 GOAL – Audette (Knight)
58:38 – 🇨🇦 EA GOAL – O’Dell (Robinson, Spooner)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇷🇺 Fedotov (28-31)
L: 🇨🇦 Pogge (31-35)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇷🇺 10+12+13 = 35
🇨🇦 10+6+15 = 31

ROSTERS
🇷🇺 Goaltenders: Timur Bilyalov, Ivan Fedotov. Defence: Alexei Marchenko, Nikita Nesterov, Alexander Nikishin, Damir Sharipzyanov, Vyacheslav Voinov, Yegor Yakovlev (C), Alexander Yelesin. Forwards: Artyom Anisimov, Andrei Chibisov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Alexander Kadeikin, Pavel Karnaukhov, Artur Kayumov, Yegor Korshkov, Kirill Marchenko, Sergei Plotnikov (A), Kirill Semyonov, Vadim Shipachyov (A), Sergei Tolchinski, Danil Vovchenko.
🇨🇦 Goaltenders: Edward Pasquale, Justin Pogge. Defence: Jason Demers, Morgan Ellis, Chay Genoway, John Gilmour, Brandon Gormley, Trevor Murphy, Mat Robinson (C), Reece Scalett. Forwards: Daniel Audette, Taylor Beck, Josh Currie, Landon Ferraro, Eric Fehr, Tyler Graovac, Corban Knight, Cody Kunyk, Philippe Maillet, Eric O’Dell (A), Ryan Spooner, Adam Tambellini, Jordan Weal.

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