One-Goal Defeat at Home to Sibir

HC SLOVAN Bratislava - Sibir Novosibirsk 2:3 (2:1, 0:2, 0:0)

Goals: 17. Nedorost, 20. Surový (Bartovič) - 13. Shumakov (Sannikov), 25. Enlund (Kugryshev, Hersley), 28. Monya (Kopeikin, Mamashev). Officials: Kiselyov, Shchenyov - Gordenko, Tomilov. Penalties: 3:7 (2 min.) plus Sersen: 5 min. + Game Misconduct (boarding), Sigalet 5 min. (fighting), Štajnoch 10 min. (unsportsmanlike conduct) - Konev 10 min. (unsportsmanlike conduct), Gubin 5 min. (fighting). Powerplay goals: 1:1, Shorthanded: 1:0, Substitutions: Slovan - Luž (21). Attendance: 9,681.

HC SLOVAN Bratislava: Backlund – Foster, Baranka, Sersen, Sigalet, Štajnoch, Mihálik - Nagy, Surový, Bartovič – Netík, Nedorost, Vondrka – Jeglič, Tičar, Hudáček - Šťastný, Bližňák, Rachůnek
Sibir Novosibirsk: Koskinen - Alexeyev, Hersley, Mamashev, Ozhiganov, Gimayev, Ignatovich, Konev - Kugryshev, Koskiranta, Enlund - Monya, Bobrov, Kopeikin - Sannikov, Gubin, Shumakov - Shalunov, Voroshilo, Butuzov

      The game started off at a quick tempo; in the 6th minute Slovan's latest edition - Rachůnek - got his first shot away, but fired wide. Four minutes later, Surový picked up on a wayward pass from the visitors, allowing him and Nagy to outnumber their defence, but Surový was unable to force the puck past Koskinen. The deadlock was finally broken in the 13th minute when Shumakov punished some chaotic Slovan defending. The home team appealed that the net had come off its moorings, but the officials awarded the goal after consultation with the video referee - 0:1. In the 17th, Slovan immediately made use of their first powerplay, Nedorost's pass to Vondrka deflecting off Alexeyev's skate into his own net - 1:1. Things then really heated up, as Sersen collided heavily with Shumakov on the boards, sparking reprisals from the Sibir players. A proper fight broke out, involving all the players on the ice. Shumakov got up from the ice with difficulty, heading to the locker room with an injury, and he played no further part, while Gubin was left with a hefty cut. The officials handed out a number of higher-level penalties - Sersen copped 5 minutes + game misconduct for boarding, leaving Slovan shorthanded a full five minutes. But they coped superlatively, the four not only defending, but even producing a goal. Right before the first siren, Surový broke away, and after a forehand twist, he sent the puck past Koskinen - 2:1. Once again, however, it was left to the video referee to decide on the goal, causing the officials to send the teams off to the locker rooms, leaving 19 seconds to play after the break, before the second period.

Nagy did not start after the break, however, having picked up an injury in a challenge on Konev. He went off to hospital for an x-ray, and his game was over. The duel had more in store - in a Slovan powerplay in the 24th minute, Nedorost found himself well placed, but his shot as he fell was off target. And the home side did not get to enjoy their narrow lead for long. Within just three minutes, Sibir had turned the score round. First Backlund failed to hang on to Kugryshev's turn and shoot, allowing Enlund to knock the puck in - 2:2. Then Monya made a numerical advantage count after Kopeikin played him in - 2:3. Enlund could have added another soon after, but the prostrate Backlund managed to get his mitt in. In a bad-tempered game full of rash challenges, the officials handed out penalties one after another, leading to plenty of uneven-handed play. In one powerplay, the home team enclosed Sibir in their zone, but efforts from Surový and Baranka were kept out by Sibir's Finnish goalie. Surový and Bartovič had chances late in the period, the latter's touch going agonisingly past the post.

Aware of their slender lead, the visitors laid down a cautious defence in the final period, from which they were able to break away with dangerous overlaps. In the 45th minute, Backlund had to intervene to deny Monya, and three minutes later the uncovered Kugryshev missed the open net from up close, while Backlund kept out an effort from Sibir captain Kopeikin. By now Slovan were struggling to get close to Koskinen, but two minutes from the end, a foul by Kopeikin offered the hosts late hope. They pulled Backlund during the powerplay, but even the 6 on 4 advantage bore no fruit, as Hudáček missed an open corner of the net from a good position.

Petri Matikainen (Slovan head coach): "This is a tough defeat for us. There was a lot of emotion in the game, especially in the first period. We lost Starosta before the game, we lost Nagy at the end of the first period, and we had a lot of players in the sin bin. We survived the five-minutes shorthanded, we even managed to score in that, but we lost concentration after the opening period, which was decisive. We wanted to turn it around in the third period, but we seemed to lack balance. We keep conceding cheap goals; we must improve in that area."