SPOILT FINISH PUT RIGHT IN SHOOTOUT!

HC SLOVAN Bratislava - Sibir Novosibirsk 2:1 SO - (1:0, 0:0, 0:1 - 0:0, 1:0)

Goals: 14. Šatan (L. Hudáček, Radivojevič), winning penalty shot: Vondrka - 57. Gubin (Sannikov, Ignatovich)

Penalties: 5:5 (2 min.), Powerplay Goals: 1:0, Shorthanded: 0:0. Officials: Olenin, Odins - Birin, Zakharenkov. Attendance: 10,055.

Lineups:
HC SLOVAN: Janus - Škoula, Sigalet, Mojžíš, V. Mihálik, Štajnoch, J. Brejčák - Miklík, Bližňák, Vondrka - J. Mikúš, Ölvecký, Bartovič - Šatan, Radivojevič, L. Hudáček - T. Mikúš, A. Šťastný, M. Bakoš
Novosibirsk: Koskinen - Lekomtsev, Ozhiganov, Kutuzov, Alexeyev, Ignatovich, Karavayev, Plekhanov - Monya, Lehterä, Enlund - Kugryshev, Koskiranta, Kopeikin - Karamnov, Ignatushkin, Nesterov - Sannikov, Gubin, Shumakov – Romanov

Home team Slovan didn’t start the contest in the ideal way. Within three minutes, Štajnoch was off to the sin bin, but visitors Novosibirsk failed to come up with anything. In even play, both teams struggled to get going, and there was barely even the hint of a chance. The Sky Blues had a powerplay in the 13^th minute and it was Šatan who opened the scoring, finding the right path in front of Koskinen – 1:0. Miklík could have added another in the 19th, but this time the goalie dealt with his shot from an angle. Visitors‘ captain Kopeikin did test Janus late in the period, but the All-Star goalie read the feint well.

A less enthralling second period was enlivened only by penalties – Slovan pressured their opponent in a powerplay, but none of their numerous shots beat Koskinen. At the other end, Kopeikin again tested Janu during Štajnoch’s second penalty, but the puck stayed out of the net.  A second powerplay, thanks to Brejčák’s dismissal, failed to conjure up a chance, while Vondrka tested Koskinen late on, as Enlund sat on the bench.

The start of the final period failed to bring added excitement. The joint dismissal of Mojžíš and Kopeikin in the 46^th minute did bring about a chance for Lehterä, but Janus was once again equal to the task. Monya also had a chance in the 52^nd, but the home goalie beat the puck away with his catcher. It was Gubin who finally had better luck in the 57^th, sending the puck between the pads for a late equalizer – 1:1.

The visitors were the more active in overtime, Kutuzov and Koskiranta squandering chances to seal victory. In the shootout that followed, Vondrka sealed the two points for Slovan.

Rostislav Čada: “We started very well – we were the more active of the sides. We scored the important first goal. The opposition seized the initiative in the second period, but we defended successfully. It’s a shame we made an error at the end, which allowed them to equalize. But thanks to Jaro Janus we only conceded a single goal. The positive thing is that we won in the shootout.”