LATE PRESSURE BUT NO EQUALIZER

HC SLOVAN Bratislava - Donbas Doneck 1:2 (0:1, 1:0, 0:1)

Goals: 25. M. Bakoš (A. Šťastný, Škoula) - 6. Kiiskinen (Piganovich), 52. Wirtanen (Kiiskinen)

Penalties: 5:5 (2 min.), Powerplay Goals: 0:1, Shorthanded: 0:0. Officials: Bondar, Buturlin - Lazarev, Palei (all RUS). Attendance: 10,055.

Lineups:
HC SLOVAN: Janus - Štajnoch, Škoula, Sigalet, V. Mihálik, Mojžíš, J. Brejčák - Šatan, Radivojevič, Ölvecký - Miklík, Bližňák, Vondrka - L. Hudáček, J. Mikúš, Bartovič - M. Bakoš, A. Šťastný, M. Daňo
Donbass Donetsk: J. Laco - Piganovich, Konev, Podhradský, C. Wilson, Bartulis, Razin - Kiiskinen, Wirtanen, Laine - Yakutsenya, Fedotenko, Dadonov - L. Kašpar, R. Robitaille, Kagarlitsky - V. Zakharov, Sergei Varlamov, Torianik

An active start from the visitors brought about two early penalties – shorthanded five-on-three for 39 seconds, Slovan defended well, but Donbass then made the one-man advantage count, pouncing on defensive confusion and allowing Kiiskinen to score in the open net. Janus had plenty of work to do, successfully keeping out further first-period efforts from the Ukrainian outfit. At the other end, Laco faced few threats, Slovan unable to apply constant pressure.

Slovan improved in the second period – Šatan threatened inside the first minute, but Laco was ready. When Šťastný found a way to the Donbass net in the 25^th, Laco saved with his pad, but Bakoš was on hand to knock home the rebound 1:1. The hosts created a number of further chances in the second period, but Hudáček, Radivojevič and Vondrka were all thwarted by the watchful Laco.

In the 43^rd minute, Janus was called upon to deal with Kiiskinen’s cross shot, while Brejčák and Hudáček missed out for Slovan. The crucial Donbass goal came in the 52^nd, when Wirtanen slotted home the rebound from Kiiskinen’s shot. Slovan tried hard to find an equalizer, but even a short powerplay came to nothing. News of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s victory over Yugra also spelled the definitive end of Slovan’s playoff hopes. HC Slovan will therefore take part in the Nadezhda Cup.

Rostislav Čada: “After an unconvincing first period we upped our movement, tempo, energy and aggression, and we equalized, both on the scoreboard and in terms of our play. We had several chances after that, and came close to victory, but a good performance by the opposition goalie, and their overall good fortune, meant we didn’t even manage a point.”