EMPTY HANDED AGAINST NOVOKUZNETSK

HC SLOVAN Bratislava - Metallurg Novokuznetsk 2:3 (1:1, 0:2, 1:0)

Goals: 7. V. Mihálik (Bartovič, Ölvecký), 53. Miklík (Kukumberg, Mojžíš) - 14. Galimov (Lapenkov), 34. Mitryakov (I. Velichkin), 40. Kosourov (Galimov)

Penalties: 6:4 (2 min.) + 50. Radivojevič (Slovan) 10 min. (checking from behind), Powerplay Goals: 1:0, Shorthanded: 0:1. Officials: Kadyrov, Cherenkov - Parfionov, Sysuyev. Attendance: 10,055.

Lineups:
HC SLOVAN: Kopřiva - Štajnoch, Škoula, Mojžíš, J. Brejčák, Sigalet, V. Mihálik - Šatan, Radivojevič, L. Hudáček - Miklík, Ölvecký, Bartovič - J. Mikúš, Bližňák, Bakoš - Kukumberg, A. Šťastný, M. Daňo
Novokuznetsk: Lozhkin - Kanarsky, Aksenenko, Skutar, Mäntylä, Kuklev, Kamalov, Kapotov - Zhafyarov, Galimov, Musin - Valuisky, C. McLean, Lapenkov - Kosourov, S. Yemelin, Gareyev - I. Velichkin, Kurepanov, Mitryakov – 38. Skladnichenko

After Friday’s heavy defeat to Vladivostok, Slovan started the game positively, creating a number of early chances. The visitors paid for their ill discipline, playing shorthanded four times in the first period. The hosts managed to convert just one of them, in the 7^th minute, Mihálik finishing off when Bartovič picked him out from the back board – 1:0. Slovan failed to convert any other chances, and in the 14^th Novokuznetsk punished Škoula’s hesitancy on the opposition blue line. Galimov was able to get through to Kopřiva and beat him – 1:1.

The visitors played a long five-on-three powerplay at the start of the middle period, but Kopřiva kept the scores level. Paradoxically, the home side had the biggest chance in that passage of play, Miklík’s touch on Štajnoch’s pass only just missed. The officials then disallowed a Metallurg goal after the powerplay, Valuisky adjudged to have scored with his skate. It was Novokuznetsk who had all the action, Slovan but seldom getting down to the visitors’ net. In the 34^th minute, Škoula collided with Štajnoch, and Mitryakov used his speed to surge down the left and beat Kopřiva 1:2. Seconds from the end of the period, Kosourov used his strength in a tight situation in front of goal to give Metallurg a two-goal advantage – 1:3.

The third period was littered with inaccurate play; while Lozhkin proved an insurmountable obstacle in the visitors’ net, the hosts struggled to turn possession into attack. Michel Miklík finally found success from between the circles in the 53^rd minute, leaving Slovan just one score behind – 2:3. As Slovan let the game open up, Kopřiva kept Slovan in the game, Musin unable to score with most of the net unguarded. But Metallurg’s level of activity kept the home side at bay, and they held on to their lead to the end.

Rostislav Čada: “We started the first period really well, and that showed with the powerplay goal. But we complicated matters in the powerplays that followed. Instead of scoring, careless play gave the opposition a chance, and they took it. In the second period we lost tempo because of the regular penalties, and Metallurg scored another two goals from fast counter-attacks. After we regrouped our attacking ranks and the game opened up, we were only able to reduce the deficit. We managed to create chances, but couldn’t make them count.”