A thriller in Sochi

15 November 2024

HC Sochi 6 Kunlun Red Star 5 OT

Well, there’s good news and bad news. The good? Our offense clicked into gear in fine style, hitting five in a game for the first time since Oct. 1. The bad? Our defensive problems continued. After shipping five in both of the two previous games, it was the same story here, compounded by a sixth in OT.

The encouraging bit, really, is the fighting spirit on display. Given recent results, it would have been so easy for heads to drop after a slow start saw us down 0-2. But Luke Lockhart wasn’t going to let that happen. He pulled a goal back on the power play, then tied the game in the 13^th minute, again on the PP. The first was a battle on the slot that went to a video review for confirmation, and the second was a redirect on a Nail Yakupov shot.

Parity did not last long before Sochi made it 3-2, but Lockie was on it tonight and his face-off win set up Tomas Jurco to make it 3-3. Three points in the first period for Luke, two for Tomas and the Slovaks first goal since he scored two at Severstal more than a month ago.

It all added up to a breathless six-goal opening frame. However, the second was rather less fun. Sochi forced two more highlight reel stops from Jeremy Smith before Timur Khafizov, who had a goal and an assist in the first period, made it 4-3 on the power play in the 29^th minute. Then Daniil Seroukh opened a two-goal advantage for the first time in the game.

There were more tests to come: late in the frame Yakupov went to the box … and saw his team-mates grab a short-handed goal to put us right back in the game! Parker Foo was the scorer, converting Colin Campbell’s feed to finish a well-worked counter after Doyle Somerby forced a turnover.

After 40 action-packed minutes, an open third period would suit the Dragons as they looked to get back on level terms. However, Sochi was more interested in slowing down the play and protecting its lead. Entertainment was not on the home team’s agenda, but negativity cost them in the closing stages. Ryan Merkley pulled off one of the plays of the season to set up Rourke Chartier for a tying goal. Ryan got the puck in his own zone and set off on a swashbuckling charge down the right wing, taking out three opposing players along the way. Getting up to the net, he slipped a pass for Chartier who had a wide-open net to aim at and fired us into overtime.

As well as winning the game, the extras were also a last chance for Lockhart, or Khafizov, to complete a hat-trick after scoring twice in regulation. Unfortunately for us, Khafizov did the honors to settle the outcome in the 62^nd minute. Another loss, our fourth in a row, but plenty of encouragement after an absorbing battle beside the Black Sea.