Gemel scores again in a thriller

14 January 2024

Kunlun Red Star 3 Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5

Red Star roared back from a slow start to push Salavat Yulaev all the way in our first home game of 2024. Things looked bleak midway through the first period after our visitor opened a 3-0 lead. But the zero quit mentality shone through as the Dragons kept the game alive until the final seconds.

There weren’t many changes from the trip to Cherepovets, but Jeremy Smith was restored as starting goalie and Nolan Moyle came into the team in place of Austin Wong. Smitty might have been wishing he’d stayed on the bench, though, as Ufa made a fast start. Nikita Zorkin grabbed a short-handed goal to put the visitor in front, then two goals in a minute midway through the frame left us in crisis mode.

That meant instant action. Smith left the game – even the best of us have days like that – and Matt Jurusik took over. A time-out gave a chance for everyone to regroup and put their heads back in the game. And, slowly but surely, the guys edged back into contention.

Facing some pressure, Salavat Yulaev ran into penalty trouble. At one point, there were three players in Ufa box and our five-on-three power play saw Gemel Smith snaffle his third goal in as many games. Message to Minsk: no, you can’t have him back! Meanwhile, the box remained congested and Kunlun still had a man advantage when Tyler Graovac tucked away the rebound from a Ryan Merkley piledriver. Smith had a secondary assist on that play and at 2-3 the game was back in the balance.

There was another big blow at the start of the second period when an unkind bounce helped Pavel Koledov extend Salavat Yulaev’s lead. We kept creating chances, with Brandon Yip narrowly missing a one-on-one. Later, our captain was robbed by a terrific glove save from Ilya Ezhov and our guys had every reason to feel aggrieved as they were down by two at the second break.

The pattern of play continued into the final stanza. Some hot goaltending, and some missed chances, meant that the Dragons could not get the reward their attacking efforts deserved. Moyle, Luke Lockhart and Tyler Wong were all close but that Ufa lead remained intact.

Then, with five minutes to play, Spencer Foo intercepted a pass in our zone and set off to the races. Steered wide by the defence, he set Teemu Pulkkinen for a shot and Brandon McMillan followed to score on the rebound. 3-4, a one-goal game, and time to turn the scoreline upside down.

Our huge effort continued, with everything committed in search of an equalizer. But it was not to be. Vladislav Yefremov’s empty-netter ended our hopes in the last minute. Red Star deserved better, but there are no prizes for hard work alone in this league.

Next week we’re back on the road, taking Gemel Smith back to Minsk to face Dinamo before visiting SKA.

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