Dragons miss out on first place in the standings

8 September 2024

Kunlun Red Star 2 Severstal Cherepovets 4

After wins in our opening two games, there were changes for the visit of Severstal. Goalie Konstantin Volkov made his first start for the Dragons in the KHL, giving Jeremy Smith a break. And to old favorites, Tyler Wong and captain Brandon Yip came in for their first appearances of the season. Jayden Halbgewachs and Austin Wong made way.

Today’s game offered Red Star the chance to move clear at the top of the overall KHL standings. No team has managed three wins yet this season. Last season, we won our first three but to repeat that feat we would have to overcome a Severstal team that is historically an awkward opponent for us.

Last season, Andrei Kozyrev’s Severstal gained a reputation for entertaining, free-scoring hockey. So it probably wasn’t a great idea to let them get their power play on the ice right at the start. Unfortunately, a too many men call had us in trouble after barely a minute.

However, it might have been a bit early for our opponent as well: the best chance of that power play fell to Luke Lockhart, who forced a turnover in center ice and skated clear but could not beat Konstantin Shostak.

Play was fairly even – although our guys had a notable advantage when it came to making hits – and it took a power play to break the deadlock. The Dragons got their first man advantage in the 16^th minute and knew exactly what to do. Some patient build-up play opened a shooting lane for Nail Yakupov, and his one-timer from the right-hand dot whistled into the net. That’s three goals in three games for Yakupov since he joined Red Star in a move that seems to be working out well for everyone (except opposing goalies).

Unfortunately, the Dragons struggled to cope in the second period as Severstal stepped up the tempo. Our visitor suddenly had a substantial advantage in shots on goal (5-15) and time on the attack (1:46 vs 7:57). Red Star defended hard, but eventually the pressure told. Severstal tied the game, then inched ahead on Ruslan Abrosimov’s goal a second before the hooter.

That meant another effort to come from behind in the third period. Nobody could fault the work-rate and effort our guys put in to try to save the situation. More than once we saw Yakupov and Yip combining to test Shostak, but the Severstal goalie came up with the answers to preserve his team’s slender advantage.

There wasn’t much else to do: keep plugging away and wait for the chance to strike. Finally, it paid off: with five to play, Parker Foo intercepted an attempted clearance and fired in a shot from the deep slot. His brother, Spencer, was alert to the possibilities and got in place for a small but vital touch that steered the puck away from Shostak and into the net.

Suddenly, the game – and the early-season leadership – was up for grabs. But barely a minute later Severstal was back in front. Some clumsy defense saw Yegor Stepanov win possession in our zone. He played the puck to the back door where Alexander Skorenov was waiting to force it home. Then, as we made one last push to save the game, an empty-net goal sealed our fate.