Bunch of Fives – part 3: top five goals
22 May 2021
For all the challenges of a difficult season, the Dragons still knew how to turn on the style. And that brought some great goals in all flavors. From individual flair to teamwork, the top 5 from 2020/21 has something for everyone. And we even found ourselves on the receiving end of something a bit special as well. Here are some of our favorites, in chronological order.
Wong vs SKA (Oct. 28)
With his speed and stick handling, Tyler Wong is one of the most exciting players on our team. And those were precisely the qualities that saw him pot one of the goals of the season in the Dragons’ first ever victory over SKA. It started with Trevor Murphy winning possession and clearing the puck down the left, but when Tyler took over on the blue line it was all about his charge to the net. Lukas Bengtsson was left trailing in Wong’s wake before he delivered a masterful finish on Yaroslav Askarov in the Petersburg net.
Shinkaruk vs Dinamo Minsk (Dec. 13)
Hunter Shinkaruk was red hot in December, compiling a club record eight-game productive streak. And this goal at home to Minsk was arguably the pick of the bunch. Shinky got the puck in center ice, burned past Dmitry Znakharenko on the halfway line and surged down the right-hand channel before cutting inside to roof a backhander. It deserved to be a game-winner, but sadly a late equalizer cost us a point.
Spencer Foo vs Sibir (Jan. 14)
Great goals come in all shapes and sizes, from the perfectly-executed power play to the rasping slap shot. But there’s always something special about individual improvisation – and that’s what Spencer Foo produced against Sibir. Take a close look at the audacious through-the-legs play that unlocks the opposition here. It’s one of those moments that puts D-men out of their skates, as Konstantin Alexeyev and Nikita Setdikov discovered to their cost. More importantly, it’s the type of move that gets the fans out of their seats.
Monakhov vs Neftekhimik (Jan. 21)
Our highest scoring game of the season was an 11-goal thriller against Neftekhimik and it produced two goals that will live long in the memory. Ethan Werek, our leading scorer this term, got one of them when he showed impressive composure to keep his stick down while batting home a puck as it flew across the crease. Moments before that, though, we scored perhaps our best team goal of the season. Ivan Nikolishin started the play, driving into the corner and getting the puck to Anton Lazarev on the slot. The visiting D was expecting a shot, but Lazarev had other ideas – a slick, no-look pass to open up a shooting lane for Sergei Monakhov. The finish was flawless.
Spencer Foo vs Lokomotiv (Jan. 27)
January was a good month for us, and especially for Spencer Foo. This was his second appearance in the monthly hall of fame, having previously scored that inventive effort at Sibir. Lokomotiv fell victim to a fantastic DIY effort. And when we say DIY, we really mean doing it by yourself. Foozy picked up the puck in his own zone and skated round pretty much the entire opposition to score this one.
And one that went against us …
Sometimes in sport you just have to take a step back and acknowledge the talents of your opponents. That was certainly the case when we faced Ak Bars on Jan. 30. Artyom Galimov was in his pomp, and his magnificent goal – built around not one but two drag-backs – was justly picked as the best of the regular season by KHL.ru.
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