🇷🇺 Russia 5-2 Czechia 🇨🇿
Channel One Cup
CSKA Arena, Moscow 🇷🇺
Saturday, 18 December 2021

In the third match of the 2021 Channel One Cup, the senior Russian national team comfortably defeated the Czech Republic at the CSKA Arena in Moscow, emerging victorious by a score of 5-2.

The Russians took the lead with only 14 seconds having been played.

After Alexander Kadeikin had won a faceoff draw in the attacking zone, the puck dropped at the stick of 20-year-old forward Arseni Gritsyuk, who unleashed an unstoppable wrister over Roman Will’s blocker.

Not long later, the Czechs were presented with a couple of golden opportunities to quickly equalize on the power play, as Timur Bilyalov brilliantly denied Milan Gulaš at point-blank range and Michael Frolík wristed inches wide of the right corner.

A ruthless Russian team promptly punished the visitors for their profligacy.

Lurking on the slot, Danil Vovchenko connected with Yegor Korshkov’s intelligent pass and whipped the puck beyond Will.

The Czech goaltender looked somewhat shaky in the opening frame. Firmly in the box seat, our players were in no mood to show any mercy to the opponents, and it became 3-0 in the 15th minute as Mikhail Grigorenko converted a 1-on-1 opportunity.

Nevertheless, the Czechs weren’t prepared to wave the white flag, and veteran forward Jan Kovář got them on the board in the penultimate minute of the frame from the crease.

Predictably, Czech head coach Filip Pešán made the call to swap the hapless Will for Šimon Hrubec ahead of the second period.

To their credit, the away team did make an improvement defensively in comparison to the first frame, protecting Hrubec effectively and not presenting Russia with clear shooting lanes. However, our team gradually began to increase the intensity towards the end of the period, producing a spell of pressure which resulted in two goals in the space of two minutes.

On the right faceoff circle, the in-form Grigorenko thumped a powerful one-timer into the far corner, before Artyom Anisimov subsequently tipped Alexander Yelesin’s ferocious slap shot past the goaltender on an ensuing power play.

Our coaching staff decided to pull Bilyalov in favour of Alexander Samonov for the third period.

Despite trailing by four goals, the Czechs came out with all guns blazing in the frame, pressing the home team and competing with plenty of intent.

Their positive start to the period was rewarded with a power play goal in the 48th minute. Unmarked on the left flank, Gulaš was picked out with a pinpoint pass and gave Samonov no chance with a huge one-timer.

Samonov was a busy man throughout the third period with the Czech Republic throwing everything at our team. But, with our goaltender stopping eight of the nine shots he faced, Russia successfully saw out the closing stages to win without any unnecessary nerves.

BOXSCORE
1st Period
00:14 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Gritsyuk
02:16 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Galimov, tripping
07:30 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Vovchenko (Korshkov, Anisimov)
14:08 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Grigorenko (Gusev, Shipachyov)
18:18 – 🇨🇿 GOAL – Kovář (Frolík, Klok)

2nd Period
30:31 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Řepík, charging
32:55 – 🇷🇺 PEN – team, too many players
37:27 – 🇷🇺 GOAL – Grigorenko (Gusev, Shipachyov)
39:00 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Frolík, tripping
39:12 – 🇷🇺 PP GOAL – Yelesin (Marchenko)

3rd Period
40:00 – 🇨🇿 PEN – Sedlák, slashing
40:00 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Kadeikin, cross checking
46:10 – 🇷🇺 PEN – Kadeikin, interference
47:36 – 🇨🇿 PP GOAL – Gulaš (Špaček, Jeřábek)

GOALTENDERS
W: 🇷🇺 Bilyalov (17-18), Samonov (10-11)
L: 🇨🇿 Will (5-8), Hrubec (11-13)

SHOTS ON GOAL
🇷🇺 8+11+2 = 21
🇨🇿 11+7+10 = 29

ROSTERS
🇷🇺 Goaltenders: Timur Bilyalov, Alexander Samonov. Defence: Semyon Chistyakov, Artur Kayumov, Alexei Marchenko, Artyom Minulin, Alexander Nikishin, Sergei Telegin, Yegor Yakovlev (C), Alexander Yelesin. Forwards: Artyom Anisimov, Artyom Galimov, Mikhail Grigorenko (A), Arseni Gritsyuk, Nikita Gusev, Alexander Kadeikin, Vladislav Kamenev, Yegor Korshkov, Ivan Morozov, Vadim Shipachyov (A), Vladimir A. Tkachyov, Danil Vovchenko.
🇨🇿 Goaltenders: Šimon Hrubec, Roman Will. Defence: Jakub Jeřábek (A), Lukáš Klok, Jakub Krejčík, David Musil, Jan Ščotka, Libor Šulák. Forwards: Matěj Blümel, Jakub Flek, Michael Frolík, Milan Gulaš (A), Tomáš Hyka, Lukáš Jašek, Jan Kovář (C), Adam Musil, Andrej Nestrašil, Filip Pyrochta, Michal Řepík, Lukáš Sedlák, Vladimír Sobotka, Michael Špaček.

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